


To Survive II: Aftermath

by Red Centurion (RedCenturionG)



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Action, Adventure, Alliance, Angst, Blue Suns, Cerberus remnants, F/M, Master Chief for some fucking reason, Rannochian-Terran Coalition, Reapers, Reapers return, Romance, Saving the galaxy a fourth time, Shepard and Tali have a child naturally, Stupid shit, Tali gets indoctrinated, Tragedy, War, awful writing, bad dialogue, indoctrination
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-09
Updated: 2019-04-12
Packaged: 2020-01-07 08:15:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 48
Words: 261,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18406691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedCenturionG/pseuds/Red%20Centurion
Summary: It's all over. Shepard has destroyed the Reapers. All that's left is one final obstacle: Building a house for Tali on Rannoch. But things are never that easy. A continuation of To Survive by Callinstel. Not proud of this story whatsoever, so I wouldn't recommend even reading it. Only kept it to remind myself of what was, and what now is.Work was originally published between September 30, 2012 and January 13, 2013.





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tali mourns over Shepard's sacrifice.

_**PROLOGUE** _

**Note: This is my first attempt at a fanfiction so please do not criticize it too much. Also this story may have a chapter released every week at the minimum, as I'm currently also working on a Reach Machinima called "Earth Schism." For further details, see my channel "Omega4Productions." Apart from that, I should say that I hope you enjoy the story I'm hoping to delve into and well, just go on ahead. I've yapped on enough. :)**

The ship was eerily silent. Most of the crew was either sleeping or working to repair the ship. But all was  _very_  silent. Everyone knew the war with the Reapers was over, but noone could find the strength or need to celebrate, because there wasn't anything but that to celebrate. A sad day it was. Joker's intense yelling of pain and loss echoed throughout the ship. For he had lost the one thing that mattered the most to him. EDI.

The Reapers had been defeated, but not without sacrifice. When that red burst of light hit the Normandy, EDI had fallen into a fit of malfunction, circuitry being scrambled as her body danced on the floor, eventually silenced by the wave of death.

And now only sorrow filled the ship. Gardner kept everyone as fed as he could, but aside from lack of emergency rations, food could not wipe away the silence that has plagued the crashed ship.

Tali could not say she didn't feel Joker's sorrow. She too had lost a loved one. One who not only stood up to the Reapers and destroyed them, but also felt a love for his quarian engineer that was unparrelled. This man had destroyed the mighty armies of the geth, defeated a Reaper Saren, flew into the heart of the Collectors, decimated a Reaper abomination, made peace between the Quarians and the Geth, cured the genophage, then lead the largest fleet in the galaxy to retake Earth.

That man was Commander John Shepard, the one man she loved, her captain, her protector, her he was gone. In an instant, all thoughts of victory were wiped away from her mind as John told her to leave him, to save herself.  _Build Yourself Home._ Tali's last words to him still echoed in her mind, always bringing tears to her eyes.  _I have a Home._

Tali tried to use repairs on the ship as a way to forget about her loss, but it only brought her more sorrow.  _He was gone. He's never coming back. He's dead. And I can do nothing, but stand here and fix things. Damn this war, if only that Mako had never hit me. He might still be alive._ Or she would be dead as well. But that was at least better than the realm of existence she currently lived in. Being dead with John and joining the Ancestors was alot better than living on without him.

Tali had gone to sleep that night in John's cabin,  _their_  cabin. The plaque John had bought them to show her that his cabin belonged to both of them still hung the wall, and as Tali looked at it, she felt as incomplete as ever. She cried herself to sleep that night, her arms looking for something to embrace. I certain man. They found nothing.

When she woke up the next morning, she felt the pillows were wet. Wet with her tears. She tried to get up, but her body refused to budge, her arms would move, but her legs wouldn't. She gave up. Laying there, she looked up at the ceiling wondering what John's last moments were like. Blinded by the the furious light of Harbinger's laser, it must of either been quick, or extremely painful.

She prayed John's end was quick and painless. It must have been. She would have felt his pain. Or was she right now? After all she had cried herself to sleep as if in intense pain. Then she realized it was all mental pain, her soul trying to come to terms with its other half's death. She was forever incomplete. She could never bond to someone else, feel the way she felt when she bonded to John. That feeling was long gone.  _And never coming back._

**I hope you enjoyed my first attempt at a fanfic and hope you stick around for the first chapter. This is obviously a continuation of the To Survive trilogy by Callinstel on . His stories are excellent, and I just had to continue it. This is based after Mass Effect 3, and will be mostly focusing on all the Normandy crew (including ex-crew members).**


	2. Second Chance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Members of the crew, former and current, continue to grieve Shepard's loss. But there's a possibility he's not all that dead.

_**SECOND CHANCE** _

_I swear to god, if someone else comes up to me asking "are you alright" or "do you need help?" I will gauge my eyes out._ If anyone had a reason to be annoyed, it was hers. Miranda was getting sick and tired of people asking to check her wounds. She had a large gash on her leg, but aside from that, she was fine. She knew, over time, it would heal.

The only thing that would take a while to heal, was the sight before her. What was once a proud metropolis with a massive population of 9 million, was now nothing but a wasteland of crippled buildings and wreckage. A population of 9 million reduced to nothing but a army of dead Reaper corpses. That however put a smile on her face. She thought of how many Reaper capital ships lay dead on London's streets.

"You sure that wound is okay, Miri?" Miranda turned, prepared to spill out her irritation on the man, but found it to be non other than Jacob Taylor. "Oh, it's you. You people seriously need to stop asking that, I'm fine. A few mental scars, that's all."

Moving to sit next to her, Jacob spoke "I know how irritating it must be for people to ask you that. I'll stop hassling you." Miranda smiled. At least  _someone_  understood. "How's Hammer? What's left?"

Jacob's smile faltered, flickered and died. It turned into a look of sadness. Miranda knew what to expect. "It's bad. Like,  _real_ bad. Almost none of hammer made it out. Major Coats was severely wounded by a Brute, the Krogan took alot of casualties, the salarians however were the hardest hit. We humans were next after them. The Turians lost over 19 platoons and don't get me started on the Quarians and the Geth..."

Miranda knew what to expect, but as soon as he mentioned geth, that...that hit her like a rock. Everyone knew the terrible fate of the geth. When the red wave flooded over London's streets, the geth fell like flies. One by one, they all died. The remains of geth dropships, frigates and cruisers crashed into the atmosphere, empty husks. The geth were gone. Extinct. The Reapers had taken another race with them into death's open hands.

"What do the Quarians think of this?" she asked. "How do we know? What's left of the Migrant Fleet has left for Rannoch and their transports won't be arriving for months. What's left of the Quarian Marines are devastated though. The geth were helping repair their immune systems quickly and helping rebuild Rannoch. Now their gone" Jacob exclaimed, on the verge of kicking the box infront of him in anger. It was horrible. Both races had finally achieved peace, only for the other to be completely wiped out.

"What about the Normandy?" she asked. Jacob looked at her with a look of sadness. "The reports are only just coming in. The Normandy was last seen going through the Sol Relay as it was hit by the wave. They..." He stopped. He didn't want to say the rest. He let Miranda fill in the blanks. "Damn it. No, their alive. It's Joker at the helm. They made it."

"Chances are pretty slim, but I'm with you on that one." He said. Miranda then gained the courage to ask the question everyone was afraid to ask anyone. "What about...Shepard?" Jacob's head shot up at the word Shepard, and he gazed into her eyes with absolute pain hidden in his own. "They haven't found him. Miri, you heard the reports. I don't want to believe it either, but...he's gone. He's...he's..."  _Dead. Shepard is dead. He knows it, I know it, everyone knows it. There's no way he survived those explosions on the Citadel. But why can't I convince myself of that? What is it about me that thinks there is still a flicker of hope that he's alive?_

At that moment of silence the door opened and none other than Urdnot Wrex stepped in. "Hah, I thought I would find you two in here. Jacob Taylor and Miranda Lawson right? I'm Urdnot..." Miranda stepped up, holding out her hand. The krogan, surprised for some reason, took her hand and shook it. "Wrex. We know, Shepard...told us alot about you."

Wrex had known Shepard since that assignment to kill Fist.  _Ah, the good old days._   _Now a thing of the past._ "Yes, he was a great friend of mine and the Krogan people. Because of him, we Krogan can once again thrive as a people!" He shouted as loud as he could, so everyone could hear him. It didn't have the effect he wanted. Everyone just went back to work. Wrex was confused for a second, then realized how what he said had effected them. "Shepard was one hell of a Battlemaster, a truer Krogan than half our own people. He will be remembered as hero after this day. Whenever someone starts talking about the Reapers, you can say "he was there, he defeated them, but he did it with a team. And I was glad to know him." He said. He was trying to cheer us up, but it wasn't working. Knowing his words had no effect, he just decided to let it go. "I'll see you back at the camp." With that, he left the way he came, doors closing behind his krogan bulk.

Miranda turned to Jacob, seeing that he has also started to move towards the door, walks back to her crate, sitting on it. "I'll see you later. It'll get better, I promise."  _I hope._ Jacob stopped at looked back at her. "I hope so Miranda, I hope so." He then walked through the door, and was gone. Miranda just sat there for a couple of seconds and then started working on her gash.  _"It'll get better". I wish. Now I'm lying to myself. It'll get better alright, in a few years or so._ Instead of dwelling on those thoughts, she decided to stop tending to her gash and do something useful. And with that, she walked out and decided to help the wounded.  _It's a start._

...

The world was a flash of white as he woke up. His whole body ached, no, it felt like he'd had a whole truckfull of bricks dropped on him. He couldn't move, he was covered in concrete. Where was he? He tried to move his head, but even that brought such burning pain that he stopped. No, he had to at least find out where he was. Ignoring the pain, or at least trying too, he looked left and right. He could see the glowing orange light of the sun dancing on the concrete, glistening in the morning rays.  _Sunrise. What happened?_

He ran his mind through all that had happened. Their rush to the beam. Harbinger's assault, Tali getting injured, Tali getting evacuated and his painful goodbye to his lifemate, getting hit by the beam, waking up, saving Anderson, the Illusive Man's suicide, the Catalyst, choosing...  _Choosing to wipe out the Reapers sacrificing what? The entire Geth race and...EDI. What have I done? I've...I've...betrayed Legion. Destroyed all the future hopes and dreams for the Geth species. Killed any hope of EDI's complete sentience. I'm a monster._ Shepard tried to fight back tears, but failed. Tiny streaks of tears dripping down his cheeks. He'd been the reason for wiping out an entire sentient species and killing one of his most loyal friends.

Shepard had no reason to live. He felt the darkness creeping up to him, preparing to consume him, death welcoming him into his embrace.  _This is the least I deserve. I'm a monster, people will call me a hero but I'll have to live with the death of a entire race on my hands. And EDI...I condemned her to death. I condemned that innocent AI, the one who could of been so much more, to death. What did EDI call it? Nonfunctionality._ Shepard was ready, ready to die. But then he woke, his eyes shot open as he remembered the one thing he still held close to his heart, the one person who could never be same.

 _Come back to me._ Tali. His lifemate. The one person he cared for. No, he could not die now. He had to reach Tali. He had so many things he wanted to say to her, to  _do_ with her. He promised to build her that house, and he kept his promises. Shepard did what no crippled and self-hating person would do. He lifted his left arm, ignoring the boiling pain in it, and lifted a piece of concrete off of him. The strength it required, and the pain he indured, was well worth it.  _I'm coming back to you, Saera._ With the first bit of concrete off of him, Shepard began to lift his right arm. He tried to hard to ignore it, but the pain that flooded through him felt he was in a oven that had been set to 1000 degrees.

With all the strength he could muster, he lifted the other piece of concrete off of him and welcomed the bright sun. It was only half way up, but it still burned brightly on his burnt and bloodied N7 armor. For a moment, he bathed in the sunlight letting it warm him, and it also reminded him of his ultimate goal.  _Come Back to Me._ He was  _not_ going to give up.

He couldn't. Not now. Not ever. However, compared to his current predicament, lifting his arms had been easy. Now getting up would be Mission Impossible. He turned over very slowly and began using his arms to lift himself up. But his arms were like jelly, and couldn't support him, so he collapsed back into the concrete, such pain in his chest that his ribcage might as well be broken.

He tried again and again, but failed each time. When he was about to give up, that all too loving voice, that petrified voice, that voice that desperately wanted its lifemate to stay at its side, filled his soul, and he consumed the strength it gave him. He couldn't forfeit when Tali could be just a few kilometers away, waiting with open arms to grab me and hold me close. To let her scent fill my nose once again.

Once again, with every once of strength he had, he lifted. His arms forfeited this time and he got up, knees first then he stood up. His legs felt like Jelly, but he wasn't going to forfeit to that. Not when his goal was close.  _I hope it is._ He began walking. His body wanted to collapse and just lay there, but he wouldn't let it forfeit just yet. Not until he was in Tali's arms. Not until she knew he was safe. He wanted to run, but then his body would severely protest, and he would be forced to submit to its wailing.

As he walked, more the city came into view. It was a truly horrible sight. Everywhere he looked all he could see was dead bodies, singed by Harbinger's beams of destruction, the bodies of once majestic buildings that towered into the heavens, now reduced to rubble. Even the grand skyline had fallen into the atmosphere, destroyed by the merciless Reaper invasion.

His body was cautious. He looked for Reaper forces, but everywhere he looked, he found nothing. Just dead corpses. Then he saw it. Dead Reaper sovereigns all lying dead, toppled over. Destroyers scattered the horizon. What pained him was what was also dead. The Geth. He saw Geth Primes, standard geth and wrecks of frigates dotted along the landscape. All because of him.

 _Why did I do it? Was it my selfish need to be with Tali once more? Was it my ultimate goal to wipe out the Reapers? Not control them or appeaze them, but destroy them? Or was it the Catalyst..._  No, there was no excuse for wiping out an entire sentient race. No justification. Tears once again streamed down his face as he remembered Legion's words. " _Shepard-Commander, the geth only acted in self defense when the creators attacked. Do we deserve death?"_ No Legion, you didn't. But I didn't anyway, condemned them all to the grave.

Deep in thought, he failed to notice the piece of concrete he slipped over. His chest slammed into it and he let out a cry of intense pain. Then he heard voices. In his head, must be.  _I'm indoctrinated. Wait, the Reapers are gone so..._ Then he saw it, shadows looming over him, all to familiar shadows and the voices became clear. It was clear who they belonged too. "My god, is that...is that Shepard?" one human said. Another, clearly quarian, male, spoke up "Keelah, look at those wounds. He needs immediate medical attention. Get help, now!"

Shepard heard the sounds of footsteps get ever more distant, until they returned, with more people, medics. One of them spoke "Shepard, your going to be alright, we need to get you to a hospital. Captain?" Shepard was surprised by that. Noone except the Normandy crew called him that. I guess they made it official and I feel safe now, with these people working on me, I'll be fine. But then I remembered the one thing that drove me on, and my need to see her face, to know that she knows, I'll be okay. But the darkness is beginning to reconsume me, they've administered a sleeping drug. I feel my eyelids getting heavy, my body finally relaxing. But my soul cannot, until it meets it's other half and rejoins it.

"Tali..." That is the last word out of his mouth as Shepard falls asleep, succumbing to the drug with many thoughts in his mind, the Normandy and most of all...Tali.

...

"Quarian, may I speak with you?" Tali had been working in engineering non-stop. She was slowly coming to terms with John's death, but nightmares of him dying in painful ways, screaming her name still plagued her dreams. The Normandy had been fully repaired and a memorial erected in his name, but Tali had been reluctant to put John's name on the wall, her soul deciding that he was alive, but her mind knew this was not true. They had just dropped off Liara on Thessia and two hours earlier, Garrus on Palaven and now it was Tali's turn, she was going to Rannoch. Everyone had to do their part in helping rebuild, and she best spent her time working on Rannoch, helping rebuild what was lost in the Morning War.

Javik's question went through one auditory filter and out the other. So he asked again, but more irritably, "Quarian, will you answer me or shall I delve into your thoughts?" Tali heard this and snapped her head up to look at the Prothean. She had hated him, he was arrogant and insulted her people on many occasions, but John seemed to tolerate him, made him nicer.  _He has that effect on people. Had..._ To stop tears from forming, she switched her thoughts to the question at present.

"Yes, Javik. Sorry, I couldn't hear you, I was...thinking about past events." Javik gave her a look of amusement. _Bosh'tet, I just lost my lifemate and he thinks its funny._ She was about to tell him to get out, but he stopped. He doesn't have to touch her and read her thoughts to know what's she is thinking of. "The Commander..." Tali turned and mumbled "My Captain..." Javik caught this and rephrased his sentence "Captain Shepard was a noble warrior, many protheans would of looked up to him as a strong leader, and with him, we could of succeeded and none of this would of happened. But you must understand Quarian, that crying and sulking like a three year old child will not bring him back." Tali was losing it with this Prothean.  _Why can't he understand?_ She couldn't hold it anymore, she had to let her rage and sorrow empty out on someone, and Javik was the perfect person for it. He had the personality of a machine, and never flinched at shouting. Just like John.

"YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW THIS FEELS! You have no idea what the bond we have with others is like! It's complete, and with their death, it leaves us empty! HOW CAN YOU THROW AWAY HIS LIFE AND FORGET ABOUT HIM!" Javik did as she predicted, he didn't move except put his hands behind his back. "Your race hasn't changed at all, still as emotional as ever. Somethings will never change in this cycle." If anyone could see her face, they would be able to tell how upset she was. She was on the verge of crying, but she couldn't. "How dare you..."

At the moment, a familiar reporter walks in "What are you two yelling about?" It was Diana Allers. The one who used to bombard her with questions about her bond to John.  _The nosy one._ "It's nothing, this quarian is just..." Tali snapped her mind out of her depression and glared at Javik "Nothing? NOTHING!? HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT!? HOW CAN YOU LIVE WITH YOURSELF!" Diana looked like a bomb just exploded and killed her friend, cause she was slowly approaching her saying "Ok..." Tali snapped her look that even people like Allers learned to avoid. They were the kind that said "back off or your in for it."

"Like I was saying, this quarian is finding it hard to get over Captain Shepard's death. It just goes to show how emotional quarians still are. Tali had a whole vocubulary of quarian insults to shout at him, but instead she decided to use words Javik would understand. "Fuck you, Javik. Fuck you." Diana looked like she would faint. She had never heard a quarian use human swear words before, only words like "bosh'tet!" what the hell that meant.

"Your attempt to wipe away this problem with words is not working, quarian. You must get over Shepard's death or he will forever cloud your judgment." Tali didn't snap at him this time, but just sighed, backed into a wall and slid down until she sat on the floor. She could see Ken and Gabby just standing there, shocked, surprised she didn't know. This was not the sweet, kind hearted and intelligent Tali they knew. This was the quarian side of sorrow, pain and loss. "Call me Tali for ancestors sake and I can't just change who I am. All quarians are the same...we weep over the loss of our lifemates because they've become part of us. Without them, we don't have the will to live. We don't simply remarry, when we bond, we bond for life. And John is..."

It was with that, that Tali could tolerate it no more. She began a new phase of intense weeping. She covered her mask with her hands, she didn't want to see the disapproving shake of Javik's head, she didn't care what the prothean bosh'tet thought. Diana had left cause she had nothing to had to her report and Gabby had left her station to attend to Tali. Javik had left out of boredom. Tali just decided it would be best to let all her emotions flood out, then get back to work. She did it, it took 2 hours of crying, but she did it. She wanted to wipe away the dried up tears, but with her mask in the way she couldn't.

Originally, she could just lay back into Shepard's warm arms and he would let her cry in his arms. It let her know that he was there for her. That was no longer so. No arms to cry in, noone to hold her close and protect her, noone to whisper soft words of relief into her ears. He was gone and for once, she agreed with Javik. She had to let him go. It would take awhile, but she could do it. She got back up, and approached her console.

"You okay, Tali lass? Do you need a rest? We can handle things down here." Tali smiled. Ken could be a  _biea_ at times, but he and Gabby were always there for her. She really felt at home on the Normandy, but now Rannoch was awaiting her. And only after she could leave the Normandy, could she move on with her life. Let John go.

She looked up, "And leave you all the work? That would be selfish, now come on, we've got some work to do before we reach Rannoch." Ken nodded and went back to work. "I'm going to miss you, Tali. I just wanted to say, it was an honor serving with you!" Gabby went to salute but instead went up and, catching Tali by surprise, locked her arms around her in a hug. Tali was hesitant at first, but willingly returned the embrace.

"You too, Gabby. I'll miss both of you, It's pity I won't see you two get officially married." She had not forgotten that Gabby and Ken had developed a thing for each other after the Collector Base, but they never got married because of the war with the Reapers. Gabby let go and stepped back, "It's okay, we all knew it wouldn't be possible with clean up and everything. We'll keep in touch though, Lieutenant Shepard, ma'am!" Gabby saluted, followed by Ken, after an elbow in the shoulder by Gabby.

Tali let herself laugh for the first time in weeks. She returned the salute "Come on, I thought John told you to stop going all formal on each other. It's just Tali." And for once, Tali didn't want to go to Rannoch anymore. It meant leaving her friends, Joker, Gabby, Ken, Adams, James, the Normandy and many other things.  _Garrus and Liara said those same things, but they knew that their own needs were outweighed by the many._ And that decided it, she was going to Rannoch, and that was final.  _Time to move on, and may the Ancestors guide me along the path to peace._

...

"Guddamn Admirals, how long they gonna keep us waiting?" That was Zaeed's fourth complaint in a matter of 50 minutes, and Kasumi was sick of it. "Come on you impatient whiner, it's only been 50 minutes. That meeting could go for hours so quit your whining." Kasumi responded in kind. Zaeed jus snorted, "I'm a mercenary, I'm built for action, not for sitting around and making nice to some quarian and human admirals. What's up with that anyway? That Zaal'Koris guy looked like a man with a huge ego, bumping his chest like that. Damn Quarians think since they helped restart the Mass Relays their all important."

"It's not just Admirals, the Council is in there too. Their discussing giving the Quarians their embassy back." Kasumi was surprised the quarians were offered a seat on the council and they rejected it. Too much bad blood I guess. Maybe in a few years. Zaeed chuckled, "Why would they talk about that and need a merc and master thief involved?" What Zaeed said made sense, they didn't. Mercenaries and Thieves had no place in politics.

Kasumi was about to answer when she heard the all familiar sound of Councilor Tevos "This meeting is adjourned." The door swung open, and 4 quarian admirals strolled out. Thanks to Shepard's past dealings with them, she knew all their names: Zaal'Koris vas Qwib Qwib, Shala'Raan vas Tonbay, Han'Gerrel vas Neema and finally, the most hated of all, Daro'Xen vas Moreh. Apparently Xen was being discharged from the Admiralty Board. Serves that bitch right, she had ruined Shep's plans for peace between the Geth and Quarians and almost had both races destroy each other.

Once all admirals had left, Admiral Hackett motioned for Kasumi and Zaeed to enter. Grunt was originally going with them, but he wasn't one for talk, and he decided to return to Tuchanka to go to the "female" camp. That brought a smile to her face, it was an amusing thought, but one that disgusted Zaeed. When Kasumi and Zaeed took their seats at Hackett's desk, he sat down at his station.

"Zaeed Massani, Kasumi Goto, I guess your wondering why I summoned you here." Hackett asked, Kasumi liked him. He was old, but tales of him speeding through the Alliance Navy Ranks even spread into the Terminus Systems, and he was a man of pride. His posture demanded all around him to act formal, his voice was one fit of a commander, and his tendency to rush head on into formal business has made him quite popular, respected and by the Terminus gangs...feared.

"Damn right. I'd like to know why a merc and a thief would have anything to with politics." Zaeed said before even thinking. He did have his own tendency to skip formalities and forget rank, and treat everyone like insignificant trash. Hackett answered cooly, "Politics?" He chuckled and glanced at both of them before saying "Eavesdropping is very rude you know."

Kasumi smiled, but Zaeed just kept his same posture, legs rested on Hackett's desk, which summoned a disapproving look from the Admiral which quickly disappeared. Losing his smile, Hackett continued "Your not here for politics, but something more important. MUCH more important. I think you'll like it." Kasumi moved closer and even Zaeed's attention had been grabbed, as he slammed his feet on the floor and also moved in closer.

"We just got word from the hospital that a very special person has just arrived there and their moving him to the surgery ward, the wounds look real bad. No this all classified, you can't tell a soul about this. If people learned of this his ward would be flooded with..." Seeing that Kasumi and Zaeed were getting bored, he smiled and said "You know who it is?" Let them guess. Get their excitement peaked. Then drop the happy bomb.

"Who?" Kasumi asked, excitedly. Zaeed just plainly said "Yeah, just spit it out for christ's sake." Leaning closer, he said just one sentence, and with that Kasumi gasped and Zaeed just started into a wall as he shouted FUCK YES. Those words were...

"Shepard's alive."

 **Building up the tension am I? I aim to please. Chapter 2 may be slightly delayed for a while, as I'll be writing scripts and filming for Earth Schism. I hope your enjoying it so far, and don't forget to review! (Remember that things can change, so Chapter 2** _**might** _ **come out sooner than expected! Expect, the unexpected!)**


	3. Welcome Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tali falls apart, and tries the unthinkable. Meanwhile, Shepard wakes up to a changed galaxy.

_**Welcome Home** _

Then his mind went into full rewind. Everything wizzed by him in a matter of seconds, everything that had every happened to him.  _Then I have chance to repay for saving my life. Have you heard of a Asari Commando unit before? Few humans have. You exist because we allow it, and you will end, because we demand it. Shepard is that...your alive? I need to feel your skin against mine. I'll make this work. Had to be me, someone else might of gotten it wrong. Shepard-Commander. I would rather risk nonfunctionality than lose Jeff. I love you. Romantic evening together? You Point and I tell? This isn't about me or you, this is about something so much bigger than all of can be no retreat, no stepping back. The created will always rebel against their creators. Tali. Dancing in the streets. I AM KROGAN. I don't need luck, I have ammo. Keelah Se'lai. You can be such a bosh'tet. Lifemates don't abandon each other._

Then the last image in his mind was the image of his pistol levelled at the conduit that would decide the fate of the geth and EDI, with a faded, but easily noticable image of his love. Tali. The lifemate he'd promised to return to, the one he failed. Then he heard insistent beeping, like the humming of life support machines. He opened his eyes.

He was in a room, a white room where a large hole had been blown through on his right, where bits of circuitry, lose pipes and singed wreckage lay. He could hear the recognizable sounds of builders hard at work doing what they do best, the constant movement of feet outside as they move to and from their duties. He moved, but the pain was now much worse, and his legs felt numb. Terrified, he looked down and was relieved to see them there.

He was hooked up to life support machines, humming away, his vitals illuminated on the screens.  _I'm alive._ He wasn't dead, he wasn't going to be saved the pain of living up to his crimes, but was given the torture of enduring his astrocities. Brung to hospital. If hadn't of passed off, he would of asked when of them to kill him. Right on the spot. But I couldn't? Could I? No, they wouldn't do it, I'm mister big hero to them and nothing, no matter what I say, will change that. I stopped the Reapers, that's a hero's badge right there.

They care too much about what I matter to humanity, to the galaxy, to care about how much of a monster I am.  _You matter alot to them, but you mean everything to me._ Tali. I had been such a fool to forget about her. She was why I went through hell, why I fought the Reapers, not just to save the galaxy, but to ensure her, to ensure us a future on Rannoch, where politics and war couldn't find them. Where they could live in peace. Just each other.

Then he remembered what Tali said. It wouldn't be just them. Tali wanted a child, and he agreed to it. But they both agreed it would have to wait for the war to end, as it would have meant Tali would be forced to leave him to be safe, and he needed her strength. Having a child naturally was a task that both he and Tali knew was impossible.

She suggested Artifical Insemination, but eventually they agreed upon adoption. But that could wait. He had to see her again. Moving around, he looked right. Outside was the clear blue sky, sun beating brightly. It was beautiful. But the way it illuminated the wasteland below was horrible, ulgy, unlikable. It was like Hell had decided to leave the depths of the underworld and join in the surface.

Looking left, he was startled to see someone sitting there. His eyesight was fuzzy and for a second, his heart skipped a beat.  _Could it be Tali?_ Then his eyesight cleared up, and he was half disappointed but half relieved to see it was Admiral Hackett. "Shepard, sleep well?" John may have wanted to see Tali more, but any friendly face was welcoming to him. Reminded him that he was alive. "Yeah, lots of nightmares, aches and pains and felt like I was going to die, best sleep I've ever had." He tried to laugh, but his throat was very soar, and he swore he heard a gurgle in his throat, like the precursor to gagging.

Hackett chuckled, "Glad to see your in prime condition, I've got recruits I want you to train and yell at." John decided to smile this time instead of laugh, less of an effort than laughing. He then let it dropped, I have so many questions to ask him. "How bad was it? What happened to the Normandy? Is everyone okay? Where's Tali?"

"Whoa, slow down. One question at a time. Let's just say, you looked like shit from what I saw. A walking corpse, surprised you were even alive. The Normandy just reported in after a emergency crash landing on Aeia, but thanks to the local quarians, they had help repairing the ship. And Mrs. Shepard..."

"Is she okay? Is she hurt? Don't tell me she's dead, please..." Hackett put up his hand to force him to stop. "She's fine. Not a scratch, well, alot of mental scars. She's returning to Rannoch, she has alot of scars she wants healed and is attempting to move on." John was smiling.  _Thank god she's okay._ Then what Hackett said hit him like a brick.  _Moving on. She thinks I'm dead._ "I see...so your saying I shouldn't..."

"No No No No, I'm not saying that. I'm just saying she might be a little bit out of control when it comes to emotional response." John sighed.  _Let her calm down for a bit, then let her know._ "Well, Admiral sir I..." Hackett flinched and the word sir, like it was a surprise.

"Admiral? Sir? I'm sorry, but your an Admiral to you know." Shepard's head almost snapped when he spun around to look at Hackett. "I'm what?" Hackett smiled. "Later, you clearly need more rest and I'm not going to keep you up. The fans will begin flooding in once they know your alive."

With that, he was up, and had left, door closing behind him. Tali was okay. The Normandy was okay. The crew was okay. EDI was...dead. The Geth were...dead.  _Shepard-Commander._ No, he wanted to desperately to shut those desperate voices out, the ones condemning him. He closed his eyes and just laid there.

But the dreams only returned, and got much worse. And this time, they used the worst weapon ever to make him feel like a monster. A feminine voice sweeping in and shouting condemning words and if not for Shepard's military personality, he would of broken out crying.

The voice was Tali's.

...

She watched as the huge bulks of the three Quarian liveships: Bakala, Rayya and Nuustu dazily drifted through Rannoch's Exosphere, massive ships that once carried hundreds of thousands of her people, now converted into deadly dreadnoughts. The battle over Earth had been fierce. A full two thirds of the Migrant Fleet had been decimated, with the Bakala no longer fit for duty to the damage sustained, and the Neema disabled by a Reaper Destroyer.

She remembered how the Tonbay had been almost destroyed, if it had not been for the Bakala, the Tonbay would be a smoldering wreck in Earth's atmosphere and she would be dead.  _The Ancestors believe I am worthy of living. They have not called to me yet._ Raan went back to filing the reports on the latest formation for the nutrient vats. They would sustain them until some hunting can be done.

How she remembered the times in which the females would go hunting while the males would stay and protect the children. Those roles had been long reversed, but females were still superior in that aspect. Raan smiled behind her mask.

As she continued checking the logs she ran across a document with Xen's official resignation written on it. She had been replaced by Captain Kar'Danna vas Rayya.  _Now Admiral Kar'Danna vas Rannoch._ She liked their change of names. She had long cherished the thought of not being named after ships anymore and being able to touch soft flower petals without these blasted suits, to smell the alien fragrance without the need of filters.

"Raan, there you are, I was looking for you." She didn't need to look up to tell who it was, it was Garu, her lifemate. "Garu, you've been looking for me have you? I wonder why." Garu just chuckled as bumped his faceplate with hers. Quarians couldn't kiss without taking the mask off or without the need of a sterile room, so bumping faceplates was as close as they got.

"Missed you, that's all. You still looking at those reports?" Garu asked. Raan smiled behind her mask. She responded, "Reports on the nutrient vat formations, there is alot to be done  _Saera_ and we must all do our part." Garu moved in and took Raan's left hand in his right. He whispered, "Then let's go through it together." Raan simply nodded, bumping his faceplate one more time before returning to work.

"This..." She was pointing to a ration crate when she saw a familiar sight sweep down from the skies and begin hovering over the site. "The Normandy, what's it doing here?" Garu asked, and they walked, hand in hand towards the Normandy. They let go as the doors opened and a familiar quarian walked out. Tali.

"Tali!" Raan began walking towards Tali. Hearing her name called, Tali turned to Raan and replied in kind, "Auntie Raan!" Tali ran and gave Raan a tight hug. They both embraced each other, glad the other was safe. Tali had feared that Raan had died in the final battle. "Ahem, forgetting someone?"

Tali broke the embrace and turned to the ship. "Yes Joker, I haven't forgotten you at all. We'll stay in touch. And...I'm sorry." She knew, that just like her, Joker was still coming to terms with EDI's death as she was John's. Joker sighed, "Never thought I'd say it Tali, but...you've been one hell of a friend, and I'm glad to have known you. And on the Captain's behalf, Well, Keelah Se'lai. There, you made me say it."

Tali was taken aback by Joker's words. She replied "Thank you, Joker. I wish you many years of peace. I'll miss you and the Normandy crew." Back on the bridge, Joker was actually getting teary, as water welled up in his eyes. He quickly wiped them away. "We'll stay in touch, goodbye, Shepard."

With that, the Normandy lifted off the ground, dust swirling in multiple directions and then it sped off into the atmosphere. Before anyone could see where it went, it was gone. Tali looked back at Raan. Raan was surprised when Tali reinitiated the hug, head buried deep in her chest. She heard the unmistakable sounds of crying.

"Tali, what's wrong child?" As soon as she said this, she realized what had happened. John had told her about his plans to make Tali a home on Rannoch and live with her there. However, John had not left the Normandy. Neither had he said goodbye. She initially thought that John had finally rejected Tali and he didn't want to say goodbye.

Tali's posture however, told a different story. Then she thought of the only alternative, no, the only conclusion that was true. John had not said goodbye, because he couldn't. John, her son-in-law, was dead. Raan felt tears welling up in her eyes as well, but decided to not let her emotions flood out. It would only cause Tali distress.

"Tali, look at me, Admiral, look at me now!" Tali jumped up at the word of Admiral. She hated using formality, but it was the only way to get Tali's attention. Raan released the embrace and looked long and hard at Tali. "Mrs. Shepard, I understand your pain..."

"How can you possibly understand, Auntie? Have you lost your lifemate? No, Garu is standing right over there for you, ready to embrace you. And me? No, John is gone, I'm forever alone and all I have our the nightmares of his death plaguing my dreams. No, not even you understand Raan. I just...need some time...alone."

With that, Tali dropped her duffel bag and ran for the cliff where John had defeated that Reaper. She didn't stop running, not listening to Raan's pleads to stop, she just kept running, as fast as she could. Soon, she reached the cliff and looked out across the horizon, the still dead destroyer, and the bright sun.

She remembered John's promise, as he gazed into her eyes with all the love and care he could reflect in his own and said those few words, the ones that made her tear up in joy, and now it made her tear up in sadness, in incompleteness.  _Remember a promise._ Automatically, Tali reached up to the pouch holding her  _Pal'tec vis Surden,_  the thing humans called a "ring" and gave to their wives and squeezed it. She looked down and reached into her pocket, pulling out the piece of rock.  _Remember a promise._ "Oh John. Come back to me, please, don't leave me. I need you. I love you." It was that she broke down crying, occasionally mumbling "I love you" under her breath.

She crawled into a fetal position, holding her legs to together as she cried and cried and cried. She then shouted as loud and long as she could, her words echoing on the word, sweeping the plains of Rannoch, letting all it's inhabitants know of the pain and sorrow this soul is induring. That it will indure, and the pain it is suffering.

The words were still echoing as she just sat weeping, holding the rock in her hand, squeezing it so hard, and jagged hit had tore through her glove and into her hand, causing blood to ooze out. She ignored the stab of pain, the blood that came out, as it was not only her blood, but her lifemate's blood.

The words that still echoed the wind kept on going.

"Remember a Promise!"

Then she did the one thing she thought she would never do, the one thing no lifemate had done in centuries. Without John, there was no reason to continue. She unclipped her pistol, armed it into her right hand, and lowered it to the side of her head. "Keelah Se'lai"

Then she closed her eyes, and pulled the trigger.

...

"So Sparks is gone is she?" Joker turned to see James standing behind him, arms crossed. He still wore his armor from the Battle on Earth, although he was disappointed Loco chose Garrus and Sparks for the rush to the beam. He thought a cold thought.  _I'd probably be dead if I had._ The wounds Sparks had sustained from the Mako explosion were horrible. She had a cracked visor, her auditory filters and speaking system had been disabled, making her unable to speak or hear for 2 days, her suit had multiple ruptures all over the torso and she was covered to the brim in blood.

The only thing that had been worse was Spark's constant screaming, not of pain, but of sheer frustration, "I can still fight! I need to help John! He's not leaving me! Let me go! I can still fight..." She repeated over and over. James felt sorry for her.

"Yeah, dropped off 2 minutes go. Damn I feel so sorry for her, the pain she went through. She turned into a complete sociopath. I guess she mirrors me, huh?" Joker responded. "I mean, I lost EDI, and she meant alot to me, but I've moved on. But Tali? Quarians bond for life, the Captain's death will scar her for years. I mean, what's stop her from...from..." Joker didn't finish that thought. Tali commiting suicide was to horrible to think about.

"I have to agree with you on that, but I've seen that Javik guy trying to talk sense into her. Damn, he sounds like such a prick." James said. Joker laughed, "You bet. Mr. Badass thinks since he's superior housecleaner, that he can treat everyone like dirt. Didn't work on Tali that's for sure. Ah, that was hilarious. I felt sorry for Javik of course, but he had it coming."

James gave Joker a frown. "What happened?" Joker's smile died. "Are you serious? Weren't you in the mess hall 2 hours ago?" James shook his head, Joker followed, but for different reasons. "It was funny. Tali was going for lunch right, and she was moping around like really badly.  _Really_ Bad, and Javik decided to take a seat next to her. You want to hear the rest or do I have to spell it out for you?"

James knew what happened next somehow, but he still wanted to hear it from Joker's perspective. "Yes, continue." He said. Joker sighed, "Javik started trying to talk sense into her and calm her down. Now, you could tell she was losing it, because she had fists all rolled up, her eyes were narrowed and boy, she was making these creepy growling sounds."

"Growling? Anyway, continue." James asked, amused. Was Tali really that much of an animal? "She was a force to be reckoned with my man, I mean, even Kal and Lana took a hike, they were hiding, not literally, they just retired to their quarters, but the next thing you know, one word from Javik and he's flying through the air into Gardner's kitchen, scaring the shit of him and you hear Tali firing shots at Javik! With her SHOTGUN!"

James laughed like he never had before, "Javik must have shat himself, and Sparks can do that? She can actually pick up Javik?" Joker nodded, "Quarians are pretty strong, but I have to say.  _Everyone_ was hiding from Tali, it took both Kal and Lana to keep her on the ground and then it took Ashley to calm her down. After that, she just shot Javik in the toe and left for the elevator. She stayed in the Shuttle Bay for those last hours."

"And it would seem I underestimated the quarian. She's stronger than she looks." Javik's voice seeped through the comm. Joker and James laughed, "You deserved that Javik, you can be such a dick sometimes..." Javik laughed his evil-type laugh that everyone liked calling his "trolling" laugh and continued, "And she is nasty with shotgun. I shall do my research. Right now, your doctor is still looking at my toe." As the comm disconnected, James and Joker just kept laughing, their voices carried throughout the ship.

...

"Lieutenant! Could I speak to you please!" Liara shouted, her voice echoing along the halls of the Temple of Athame, once a proud and peaceful place, now nothing but a ruin thanks in kind to both the Reapers and Cerberus. But that would change soon. Liara watched as Lt. Telesa ran across the rubble, almost tripping over the rotting corpses of fallen commandos, and sight still enough to make many gag.

"Yes, Miss T'Soni, what is it you need?" Liara returned her salute to the Lieutenant before saying, "Clear these dead bodies, give them a proper burial then help the clean up! This is no longer a war, everyone helps out, understood?" The Lieutenant simply nodded and ran back along the hall, shouting orders at her troops to move and assist in cleanup.

 _Ah, I wonder if its like this on Palaven and Rannoch._  She missed her friends, she missed Garrus' sarcastic remarks and Tali's kind words. She had always felt sorry for Tali, and she wept herself, afterall, Shepard had been Jossa's father. She had been forced to hand Jossa over to her Matriarch guide so Liara could help at the Mars Research Facility.

She missed Jossa, and she knew telling Jossa when she grew up of her father's death would pain her, but it had to be done. She had to remember her father, and the deeds he had done. Liara shook this thought, she had other things to do. She brought her pad back up and searched the raw data for anything that could help with repairs.

"Ah, Miss T'Soni, you have a communique coming in from a Mr. Vakarian?" It was Lehana, her new assistant. Liara smiled, Garrus admitted to having a thing for Liara, but she thought it was just a fling. Liara liked Garrus too, but waited for him to make the first move. She turned to Lehana, "Put him through to my omnitool, Lehana."

Simultaneously, they accessed their omnitools, but for two different reasons. When done, Garrus' face popped up on Liara's omnitool. "Ah, Liara. Didn't think you'd respond, you working and all."

"Well, Garrus. I always have time for a friend. How's the situation on Palaven?"  _Friends. Rate were going, it'll be more than friends._ Garrus shook his head, sighing. "It looks damn ugly down here, my family is aokay, but until we can at least get the Hierarchy's Main Building fixed, it doesn't look I'll be able to see them. What about Thessia?"

Liara had dreaded this question, "Were still clearing most of the wreckage left by the dead Reapers, and the temple of Athame as all of a sudden become a top priority to fix, looks like the Republic hasn't given up on Athame yet. It's still shocking to know Athame is actually Prothean." Garrus chuckled, "Yeah, well Javik's full of surprises."

Liara laughed with him, "Damn the war. We've lost so many friends. Mordin, Legion, Thane, Anderson...I really hated the Reapers for it." Garrus stopped chuckling, his face serious, "Everyone hated the Reapers, all for different reasons. The thing you think of now is that the Reapers are not here, we are. That's what matters." Liara looked at him intently, "And what about the geth and EDI? Was that a victory?" Garrus looked at the ground, speechless.

He really didn't know what to say, he knew that it was nowhere close to victory, but that wouldn't help reassure Liara, not in the least. And then...Shepard. Captain Shepard, another man dead due to the war. "It'll take time, but we'll recover Liara. Don't let their sacrifices be in vain." That's all he could say, all anyone could say. Nothing else could be said that wouldn't cause sadness or depression.

"Thank you Garrus, but its not that easy, and you know it." Liara stated. Garrus may be a deadly sniper and relentless viglante now working as Secretary Primarch, but he was kind hearted inside. Like Tali and John. They were such a perfect couple, now torn apart by the Reapers.

"I know Liara, I'm still trying to convince myself. I need to get back to work, we'll talk later, I promise and Liara, things will be get better." With that, Garrus cut the connection. Liara smiled and deactivated her omnitool moving to assist in clean up. She began lifting a piece of metal with her biotics as a thought crossed her mind. "By the goddess..." She suddenly dropped the piece of metal, and began furiously typing into her omnitool.

 _Time to make a very important call._ She waited for the connection to fully establish, she let off a sigh of relief as a friendly face appeared on it. Raan.

"Excuse me, but do I know you?" Admiral Raan had never met Liara, so she was unsurprised she didn't know her. "I'm Liara T'Soni, friend to Lifemates of Tali and John, do you know where Tali is?" Raan gave her frown that she couldn't hide, even under her mask. "Yes, but why do you need to know this? I asure you, she is...fine." Then was slight hesitation in that last word, one that suggested something else was going on.

"You have to get her. She's going to..." Liara didn't get to finish, "...kill herself...I know." Raan finished her sentence for her. Liara nodded slowly, fearing that Raan's hesitation is a direct result of what might of happened.  _I'm too late._ "Raan, what happened?" Raan sighed, and then looked left and right.

"Tali she...attempted suicide." Raan said, her voice quivering. Liara then noticed that her voice sounded hoarse.  _Infection. She's recently had a suit rupture._ "As one of John and Tali's closest friends, I demand to know what happened." She hated doing this, but if her friend tried to kill herself out of depression, it was her business. Plus, she had a feeling that suit rupture had something to do with what happened.

Raan gave her a snappy look, but she understood. She had the right to know. "I was looking for Tali when I saw her with a pistol to her head. My lifemate reacted quicker than I did, and knocked the pistol away as she fired. It just missed, but..." She attempted to stop there, the memories were too painful to recall. But she had too.

"...but she grabbed Garu's arm and broke it, Garu held onto her as I arrived, and together we tried to restrain and calm her down, but she was ferocious. It was like the primal part of her brain had gone into full recap, and she was clawing at us and and..." Raan pointed to the rupture, "shot me here. We eventually had to sedate her and bring her here. She's been locked up. I didn't want to, but she's a danger to anyone attempting to talk sense to her."

Raan started crying, she felt helpless. She wanted to help Tali, but couldn't. Tali was too far gone, noone could help her. She knew this was a result of  _Tellma'zit_  a condition that occurs when a lifemate is killed in battle and the other seeks revenge. But with nothing to wreak revenge upon, she had reverted to full animal status. Once in  _Tellma'zit,_  noone can help the occupant. Some have resorted to killing them, but she could not to that to Tali.

"There is still two people she would listen too, trust with her lives. One is not available, but the other is. Do not do anything, they are on their way." Raan simply nodded, and Liara closed the line. She quickly ran out and called Lehana. "Lehana, bring the shuttle, I'm going offworld."

"Where?" Lehana asked, confused.

"To Rannoch. To help a  _very_ depressed friend."

 **Tellma'zit:** Term used to describe a period of time in which a lifemate has lost his/her mate, and the bond is so deep, that the active lifemate openly seeks revenge. When unable to find the enemies to kill, they resort to isolation or suicide. Anyone attempting to interrupt this will be viewed as an enemy, and the lifemate will emit animalistic behavior, and attack their "enemy." Literal Translation: Vengeful Mate.

 **Keelah Se'lai:** If you haven't played Mass Effect 3, I might as well tell you. Literal Translation: By the homeworld I hope to see one day. "Keelah" standing for "By the homeworld" and "Se'lai" meaning "I hope to see one day." When used by Joker or any other human, they essentially use it as a "goodluck term.

 **Pal'tec vis Surden:** Medallion presented during the Ceremony of Bonding. Literal translation: Symbol of Souls United. Quarians followed a different path, where humans would place a ring upon their bride, a quarian male would present a medallion depicting the future life of the newly bonded pair. Worn on a chain around the neck before the war, they now are carried by every bonded female in a special pocket within their enviro-suits, just above their heart. Usually made from precious metals, the quarians in the fleet now use scrap metals to conserve resources.

 **Saera:** Term used when speaking to ones lifemate. Literal translation: My souls soul. Other meanings include, but are not limited to: Keeper of my soul and My souls protector. Most commonly used word throughout the fleet by a quarian when speaking privately to their lifemate. Though unconfirmed by any quarian, there are implications that this word holds extreme intimacy as well as absolute trust. No single human word or phrase encompassed all that this one short word implies as it appears to contain both dominance and submissive traits.

**I've decided to take a Callinstel approach, and give a translation for all quarian words used.**


	4. Reclamation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tali finds a reason to move on with the help of a friend. A former foe rears his ugly head. Word of Shepard's survival reaches Tuchanka.

_**Reclamation** _

Another Bang. Then another, and another, and yet again, another. She was not repenting, and she gave it everything she could. She assaulted the door with the force of a krogan, but it was useless. The door would not budge. She was scared, not of them, but of herself. She didn't feel normal, she felt like a merciless killing machine.  _Where is my mate. I must wait for his return, for him to rescue me from these monsters. Why can I not smell his scent? Where are you my mate, I call to you._ She once again rammed the door, but this time retired to the nearby sleeping mat.

She fell onto it and, ignoring all natural quarian safety procedures, fell face first into the bed. She had had to get a new mask for the time being as she had cracked her visor trying to headbutt Raan.  _I am a fool to trust these people. My mate will come and wreak revenge upon them, and they will pay with their blood._ For some reason, tears dripped down her face although she felt no sadness. She felt nothing.

She just lay there, letting her mind process all that was happening. The cliff, John's promise, breaking Garu's arm, shooting Raan, being sedated, waking up here...She was locked up because of what she did. She had shot an Admiral, a friend, her last piece of family left, and she would have to pay for it.

"What have I done..." Her hand automatically starts looking for a weapon.  _I deserve to be silenced, I am a danger to everyone and...and..._ She gave up, Raan had made sure nothing that could harm me was put in here. She wanted me alive. Why? Why must I endure this pain. She doesn't understand. Or maybe I don't understand. I'm being so selfish that I'm forgetting what's important.

 _I must have really scared Raan, I'm such a fool, what have I done. My own selfish wants have clouded my judgment. Maybe Javik was right afterall._ She decided rest is what she needed, just a nap. She felt her eyes close, and she fell asleep. Her arms moved to embrace someone, but she knew he was not there, but her arms continued their frantic search. Eventually they gave up, handing loosely.

Then it all came to life again, she was standing in the cargo bay, Garrus holding onto her, supporting her frail body, she felt the blood seeping from her nose and mouth as John approached her, all the love he could possibly convey. He lifted his hand to her cheek and held it gently. "I'll always love you, Tali. Go back to Rannoch, build yourself a home." Her eyes teared up and she closed her eyes, wanting to embrace John, force him to come with her. She said with all the love she could muster...

"I have a home." She watched sadly as John began to leave, his hand returning to his side. He gently kissed her visor, instead of gently bumping his forehead against it and she was starting to panic, "Don't leave me!" she reached out her hand, awaiting hers. Harbinger's voice boomed in the background, his beams of death ready to devour her lifemate. He turned quickly and then looked back at her, sheer concern in his voice, but in the most orderly fashion he can.

"GO!" He ran backwards back into the fray, Alliance troopers, Turians, Krogan, Geth, Quarians getting incinerated as they run for the beam, and Garrus begins carrying her inside. The doors begin closing as the Normandy lifts up. "NO! I can still fight! Let me go Garrus! Joker! Take us back down there! NOW!" Garrus' grip remained strong, but he didn't drag her, he decided to let herself tire out. Joker didn't answer. She felt abandoned, she felt everyone had abandoned John and her.

Then she saw it, John, worn out as Harbinger's beam soared towards him. "JOHN! LOOK OUT...!" She was too late, the beam consumed him and all she heard was her own screams as she woke up. She was still screaming as she woke up and she clutched her  _Pal'tec vis Surden_  tightly, not letting go. She continued into a deformed combination of screaming and crying, tears enveloping her face, her eyes closed.

As the night continued she just layed there, looking at the roof, no longer screaming, but still crying, still clutching her Pal'tec vis Surden. She then accessed her omnitool, bringing up a photo of her and John. She smiled, the photo had been taken before attacking the Collector Base. Just after their intimacy.

She looked at John, who gave a smile that made others laugh, but Tali to smile in happiness. Next to that, or properly, behind him sat herself. No suit on, so she was naked, but the photo did not show anything below her shoulders. She saw her own face, her head resting on his right shoulder, smiling at the camera. It had of course been taken with his omnitool and now had been uploaded to hers.

She cherished the memory, their first time together, their first joining, just them, no nerve stimulators or suits in the way. She had felt a minor infection afterwards must she remembered her words afterwards, "But it was totally worth it." She decided to store that photo in her archives, she would cherish that memory.

At that moment, the door unsealed and opened, and then Tali felt out of control again. Like she was being guided by a deadly force. Like she was controlled by puppet strings. She lunged at the mysterious figure, as she didn't bother to look, but as soon as she had lunged at the figure, she had been flying away from the figure and her body slammed into a wall. "What in Ancestors..." She managed to get out before looking down.

She was enveloped in the bright color of blue that was assiociated to biotics. This person was a biotic. But no quarian had biotic abilities, so who could it be?

"Who are you? What do you want?" The figure stepped into the light, her hand outstretched, covered in blue light. Tali saw more of the person and knew it was an Asari, she had the tell-tale blue skin and the overly seductive voice that human males always fell for, but of course, it was the Asari's natural beauty most fell for. But Tali knew this Asari, this one was friendly.

"Only to help you to overcome your own fears, my dear friend. And may the goddess help us in that endeavour." It was Liara T'Soni.

...

"Are you shitting me? I want my men, back here at Zorya, now!" Vido yelled, his merc assistant was right next to him, but he needed to emphasize his point. The merc looked flabbergasted, "What? We have to help rebuild from the war effort if we want to be able to rebuild the Blue Suns." the merc replied. He knew has soon as he opened his mouth, he should have kept it shut.

Vido unclipped his pistol and shot the merc in the head 3 times, his head exploding and blood and gore tainting the wall behind him. Smiling, Vido put his pistol back. Bringing him back from his deadly fifth degree wounds had been difficult, but the Blue Suns had done it, without sacrificing his personality. The body slumped on the ground.

"Anymore questions?" Every merc he turned to shook their heads as fast as they could. "THEN GET ME MY MEN BACK HERE, NOW!" Everyone nodded and in a rapid motion, were gone. Too terrified to not move. "I really have let my organization recruit morons. I should do something about that." He smiled an evil smile, one that many would of thought was ugly.

"Wants my troops are back, it'll be time to activate Operation: WEREWOLF." He said to noone specifically. He had a very special person he wanted to wreak revenge on. And once again, Vido let a digusting and horrible smile play across his face.  _He'll regret surviving the war when I'm done with him._

...

"Now now, Wrex. These children are not your play toys." Urdnot Bakara herself was happy to have children, but Wrex was getting overbored. He was showing off his Claymore shotgun to them and their oldest, Mordin, was too young to learn how to fight. Wrex chuckled, "Your joking, come on, these are Krogan, not your typical xenochild, they always learn to fight at an early age." He said, smiling.

Bakara shook her head and let them have their fun as she entered their prefab house. It was only temporary until repairs were finished on the old city. As the door closed behind Bakara, Wrex turned back to Mordin and Shepard. Wait, they had three children. "Tali, get here now. Father Wrex wants you here, now!" Wrex had been hesitant to naming one of them Mordin, but he didn't hesitate at all to name two of them Shepard and Tali. One of them was a girl, so it was obvious which one would be Tali.

Urdnot Tali, Urdnot Shepard, Urdnot Mordin. Has a ring to them. He still was saddened over his Battlemaster's death, Shepard was difinitely the greatest Battlemaster in the galaxy, and to see him die was a loss to all Krogan. But he would move on, just like Tali, Liara, Garrus and...oh who am I kidding, I'm still thinking about it.

"Haha, the great Battlemaster, now defeated by harmless children." Wrex recognized that voice, the one he came to respect. He may be tank bred, but the runt was good. Turning, his thoughts were confirmed. Standing before him, in the doorway, was none other than Urdnot Grunt. "Grunt, didn't think you were done playing with the females yet." Grunt chuckled and did a brotherly handshake with Wrex.

"Yeah, well I'm a krogan. I'll leave the breeding to people who can't fight worth a pyjak anymore." Grunt replied. Wrex gave him a glare, "I take that as a challenge." Wrex said, joking. He'd learnt that from Shepard. Grunt raised his eyelid, thing, whatever their called. "Don't. I wouldn't challenge you at all I was just..." Wrex finished for him "...joking." They both chuckled and then noticed Tali punching Wrex's leg.

Wrex looked down and frowned. "What do you want, runt?" Tali continued to punch his leg. "She wants to learn how to fight." Bakara's voice came in from the house, "I told you she's too young, she follows everything you do." Bakara smiled. These kids were growing up fast, had to be with Wrex as a father. Pure Krogan all over.

Tali then stopped punching his leg and said something that sounded distinctly like "...Rex..." Everyone looked at Tali, even Mordin and Shepard, who had bemused looks. "Rex? Rex? Rex!" Tali continued to say. She was learning to speak, something Shepard and Mordin hadn't grasped yet.

Wrex chuckled, "I like this one! Not only does she want to fight, she knows my name! And this is?" Wrex said to Tali this time, pointing at Grunt. Tali looked bemused and then looked at Grunt, who was trying to smile. "Graunt...Gruunt...Gra..." Tali stopped and sat down. Wrex sighed.

"Oh well, she'll learn. I hope. At least the girl can speak, these men are hardly  _real_ Krogan." Wrex said, disappointed in Shepard and Mordin. Bakara was shocked. "Don't be so harsh, their only children!" Wrex just laughed, "Yeah, I guess your right. They'll learn."

They had more fun with the kids before Grunt decided to return to the Shaman, leaving Wrex who decided to hand the children over to Bakara so he could train on shooting Pyjaks. "Not even at war anymore and your still training." she said. He had just laughed as he left. When he got there he got a message from Earth and asked the Shaman to play it in the new throne room.

When he got there, he immediately started playing the message, wondering why humans were so interested in him. As soon as it popped up he could hardly stiffle a gasp of surprise. "Crazy..." Is he all he got out, as he sprinted out of the throne room. When the Shaman asked where he was going in such a hurry, he simply said "Tell Grunt he's in charge while I'm gone. Inform Bakara. I'll be a few weeks." Shaman looked confused.

"Off to where? Earth? Why Earth? What is so important that you have to go there?" Wrex chuckled and as the door opened and the shuttle started preparations to take off, he simply turned back and said "So to see a very crazy friend."

He then ran through the door, it closing behind him.

...

When Tali had realized it was Liara, she settled down a little. Liara let her biotics die off and they sat down and talked, girl to girl. It had started off very emotional for both of them, they both loved him, but Liara could say Tali's love for him was more powerful. Liara had learnt to let John go  _long_ ago. Eventually it died down and Tali had recovered.

Tali eventually thanked Liara for her visit, and the two parted ways. Liara was sure it worked. Tali didn't cry anymore when people mentioned John, she may tear a little, but that was unavoidable. Tali was ready to move on with her life. She would never forget the times she spent with John, the cuddles, their lovemaking, the times he protected her, the times on the fleet. But they were times long finished, and it was time to move on. Move on Tali would.

Liara had observed the quarians scurrying around for equipment, building nutrient vats and scanning for minerals as she sat on the newly founded Quarian Landing Pad. The quarians were building their first city near an  _Ogwer_ , where they wished to put their new capital. It had been speeding ahead but with the Geth gone, the process had been dramatically slowed. The desert plains of Rannoch remained barren, as if the deaths of the Geth had affected the planet itself.

She looked down to see the Admiralty Board and their lifemates doing research on where to place specific structures. She thought she saw plans for some kind of memorial, but she didn't get a good look before the quarians switched to a new slide.

Liara began to hear the familiar sounds of a shuttle approaching, and approached the landing zone. As soon as the shuttle had landed, the doors wizzed open and she stepped in. She then heard her name being called. She turned, and saw Tali running up the steps and was shocked when she accepted a large embrace.

"Thank you, Liara. Thank you. Thank you..." Tali repeated over and over, as if she'd just received command of a dreadnought. Well, actually that would be terrible. "What for?" Liara was confused, what had she done to receive this special treatment? Tali regained her posture and stepped back, "Oh sorry. Well, I'd like to thank you for...helping me. You really helped me see what life I have ahead of me. Without John, it will never be fully happy and I will never fully recover, but I can at least be happier then I am now. And I have you to thank for that, Liara."

Liara was surprised. Tali was not the traumatized young woman she saw 5 minutes ago. No, she was back to her old self. Maybe not fully, but at least partially. She would never be the same again without John. "Why, your welcome Tali. I'm your friend, you don't need to thank me for is freely given." Tali hugged Liara once more before stepping back, allowing Liara to reenter the shuttle.

Tali watched as the door closed, Liara's smile sealed off from her view and the shuttle zoomed out into the atmosphere. Tali kept watching until the shuttle disappeared behind the hulk of the Nuustu. Tali smiled and began descending down the ramp. She continued smiling.  _I'll miss you so much John, but I did it, I'm moving on. I know you'd want me too, and I listened. I hope you find peace with the Ancestors._ Tali then approached Admiral Raan, it was time to return to active duty.

 **Pal'tec vis Surden:** Medallion presented during the Ceremony of Bonding. Literal translation: Symbol of Souls United. Quarians followed a different path, where humans would place a ring upon their bride, a quarian male would present a medallion depicting the future life of the newly bonded pair. Worn on a chain around the neck before the war, they now are carried by every bonded female in a special pocket within their enviro-suits, just above their heart. Usually made from precious metals, the quarians in the fleet now use scrap metals to conserve resources.

 **Ogwer:** Term used to describe a major rivers opening onto the sea. Literal translation: High mouthed waterway. Imagine if the grand canyon on earth ended abruptly leaving the high cliffs on either side of the river and the sea before it. Unlike a fjord, where the river is wide and usually meets the cliff/mountain walls, an Ogwer has a large flood plain between the river and the cliffs.

 **Erast:** Why not. It's part of an Ogwer anyway. The upper edge of an Ogwer. Literal translation: Protector's watch point. The top of the surrounding cliffs of the Ogwer, in ancient times small camps of guardsmen would protect and watch over the city proper. In more recent times, before the war, small towers were used for the police force as well as provide sightseers a view of the city below and the vast savannahs above. During the war, the towers were brimming with anti-ship and anti-geth weaponry.


	5. Rebirth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An old friend returns from beyond the grave. Shepard refuses to rest until he's at Tali's side. Vido unveils a new weapon.

_**Rebirth** _

"So James, I guess this is goodbye." The Normandy SR-2 had landed an hour ago, and the last of the crew had decided to hang around for a final goodbye party. James was rushing off to get into the N7 program, Samantha was going to stay on the Normandy and help out as specialist. Cortez was given a promotion and was reassigned to Fifth Fleet's SSV Turanga, Javik had already been dropped off on the Citadel and Joker was going to continue piloting the Normandy. However, it just wouldn't be the same without EDI.

"Yeah, I guess it is. We'll keep in touch, I promise. Just remember that were all family here, maybe not literally, but virtually. Remember that." Joker smiled and managed to snap a crisp salute. "Yeah, see you around. Been an honor Vega." Joker let his hand fall to his side and James did the same. They walked or in Joker's case, limped back to the shuttle. James stopped as he began to enter, "Honor's all mine, Joker." Joker laughed.

"What, no nicknames?" James just smiled, "Sometimes, nicknames just aren't respectable. That's what I heard the Captain say, 'just as long as you remember who's in charge.'" They both laughed again, but soon the smiles disappeared from their faces. The topic of Shepard was a hard one.

"Well, I better get going. Good luck, and...sorry about EDI. I really am, I was really starting to get used to her." Joker looked up at James and saw sincerity. "I guess we all have wounds to heal. Some more than others. Good luck. Don't let those CO's bite too hard." Joker said, backing away from the shuttle. "You either. Hackett's not like loco, be careful what you say." With that, the doors closed and the shuttle zoomed out of Earth's atmosphere.

With everyone gone except Samantha, it got quiet on the Normandy, unlikably quiet. Joker was now back on the bridge of his ship, his pride, and he let his hand move out to grab the cup of water that lay on the panel to his right.

"EDI, could you..." Joker stopped mid-sentense and realized noone would answer. EDI was gone. Her body still locked away in the AI Core. Joker went their occasionally to talk to it, he knew she couldn't hear him, but he talked anyway, allowed his mind to rest. He talked about his childhood, hilary, how he'd served with Anderson and Shepard and how the Normandy had been the most important thing to him until...until...he met EDI.

He told how his hatred for this AI slowly died away and was replaced by a friendly relationship and then...into love. It had to be the most awkward relationship in human history. Forget bonding to a quarian, falling in love with a AI is just the weirdest occurance ever. But he didn't care, all he knew was that he loved her, and now she was gone.

He took a sip from the cup and then layed it back on the panel. He decided to run some diagnostics, take his mind of his depression. Just when... "Flight Lieutenant, prepare for departure. ETA 2 minutes." Joker nodded. The Normandy SR-2 was now Hackett's flagship and had been assigned to the Fifth Fleet. The Normandy was of course still registered as a quarian vessel and was still owned by the T'S Salvage Company, but the Alliance had petitioned the company's owners for use of the vessel. Only two founders existed, and with one already dead, that left the other to allow it. Tali.

It had been obvious what T'S stood for, as it was a precursor to Shepard and Tali's eventual bonding ceremony. Tali'Shepard. He smiled but then lost that smile when he remembered what had happened to Shepard's cabin. Dead, his poscessions could be passed on to his loved ones. That meant the majority went to Tali and his mother, Hannah. However, Hannah decided Tali should have it, as the impact had been greater on her.

Hackett was forced to have engineers remove the airlock from the cabin and then had the ship models shipped to Hannah Shepard, who gladly accepted the gifts. It still pissed him off that any trace of Shepard had been removed from the ship,  _his_ ship. But he knew nothing could be done, so he kept his mouth shut.

Shepard sighed and keyed the comms, "Yes sir, coordinating proper procedures with Citadel Control, Moreau out." He then keyed the comm back to Citadel Control, "Citadel Control, this is SSV Normandy, requesting permission to leave space dock, request of Fleet Admiral Steven Hackett." It took a few seconds for C-Sec to respond, which was understandable, the Citadel was still under repairs. "We copy you Normandy, you are clear to leave the dock. Have a safe trip."

Was it just him, or was C-Sec not a bunch of douchebags anymore? He smiled, guess all the hardasses died in the...then he realized what a horrible thought that was and pushed it aside as he felt the ship realized from the docking clamps and begin to accellerate out of the dock.

It wasn't long before open space greeted the ship, and the view of Earth below could be seen. The planet was still illuminated with the poisonous red glows of eternal fire burning down on a once beautiful planet. A planet torn apart by unparrelled war. Joker then steered the ship away and headed for the Sol Relay to begin test runs on the new engines.

With that, he let the new VI do all the work. He flexed back and relaxed. He then closed his eyes but two seconds later was awakened by Hackett's voice. "Mr. Moreau, I'm coming up to your station. I have some information that so far, I trust only you with. A certain someone would like to make his presence known." Joker gave a frown in response.

Who is Hackett talking about?

...

Stressed? Yep. Self-sympathetic? Hell no. Depressed? Yes. Lonely? Definitely. John Shepard had a whole list of feelings he felt right now and he found it hard to contain all of them. He was stressed cause he hadn't been able to see any of his friends or family, he felt depressed at the attrocities he commited and he felt lonely because Tali wasn't at his side.

He felt he had betrayed Legion and EDI, which was the worst thought possible. No, the worst thought possible was betraying or even losing Tali. He couldn't bare that thought. He would protect Tali with all the power in him and he would never think about betraying Tali's trust. Then his thoughts skidded to a halt. Betraying Tali. He says he never would, but he feels as if he had.

Then he remembered the geth were helping repair the quarian's immune systems and were helping rebuild Rannoch. The answer was clear. He had done the unimaginable. He had betrayed Tali. Betrayed his lifemate. He felt like scum. He began to feel a new wave of tears flood down his cheek and covered his face with his hands.  _Tali, please forgive me. What have I done._

He tried to get up, he needed to find a pistol.  _I'm a monster. Who was I to play god with the lives of billions of individual geth and kill off one of his greatest friends. Then he betrayed his lifemate, the one person who trusted him more than anyone. Her Saera. Betraying her was a dog's act._ As he went to rip the first tube out, he heard the door open.

There, standing in the doorway was a human, female, in alliance uniform, the insignia of a Rear Admiral on her right breast. She wore the standard cap for all Alliance admirals and had the recognizable streaks of grey in her hair symbolizing her age. She was smiling down at him. "Well, look at the great Captain John Shepard, Hero of the Citadel, crippled. Never thought I'd see the day, John'Shepard vas Normandy."

The voice was easily recognizable, he wouldn't miss it anywhere. He smiled a big smile. "Mother." Her smile got wider as she approached his bed, "Son." She took one of the nearby chairs and used it to sit next to him, dragging it over.

"So, where's the suit? Or do you have a death wish?" Shepard gave her a frown as she asked the question but then realized what she meant. "That's not fair." She laughed, "You spend so much time with those quarians, you exactly blame me." They both laughed. Shepard found it easier to laugh now, maybe it was the latest surgery he just received.

Hannah stopped laughing and brought on her a serious face and tone, "So where's Mrs. Shepard?" John lost his smile as well, he always dreaded about talking about Tali, it reminded him that she wasn't with him, comforting him as lifemates do. But according to Tali, he was dead. He had to fix that. But would it be right to call her to Earth when she could be helping her people. No, he would not let his selfish needs overtake those of the many.

He sighed, "On Rannoch, helping rebuild." Hannah gave him a frown, "I know Tali, she would always be at your side, helping you recover. There's more to this. Spit it out." She ordered, not as an Admiral, but as a loving mother. "She thinks...I'm dead." Hannah then flexed back and sighed, "Why John? Why are you making her go through this...?"

"Cause if she knew about the attrocities I commited, how I not only betrayed the geth, EDI, her people and...her. She's moving on now, she deserves someone who..." Hannah suddenly stood up, she looked angry. "Don't you dare finish that sentence. I've seen the look in Tali's eyes when she looks at you, even with that mask, she's very readable, she loves you alot, John. She wouldn't have it any other way." Shepard smiled. Hannah was about to snap at him again but chose to sit down.

"You're probably right mum, but, she has a homeworld to help rebuild, and I'm not going to call her all the way here just for some selfish need. The needs of the many outweigh those of two lifemates. Plus, she's an Admiral, she's required to stay." He sighed a sigh of defeat.

"Come on John, were Shepards, and Shepards never..." She began, and let John finish the rest. He smiled and looked at her, gazed into her kind eyes, "...Give up." He smiled as Hannah put both her hands on his left. "Never."

Their voices then continued into the night and when it was time for her to leave her words still hung on the air like a new found optimism,  _Never give up._ He smiled as he decided to not find that pistol, for he had alot to live for. "No I'll never give up."

Not for my friends, and especially, not for my  _Saera._

It was time.

...

Vido smiled yet again, uglier than ever. He had half of his organization up and running again, and he watched as mercs waited for the gunship to land before either carrying away the crates it carried or refilled it with thermal ammunition. His arms were crossed and he was standing on his new podium inside what would become his new base of operations.  _I'm far from done with you Shepard. You, and you're quarian suit rat, will pay for what you've done._

Everyone thought Shepard was dead, but Vido knew not to follow the gossip and speculation. He went with solid facts. He had raided a damaged Alliance frigate and found out that Shepard was indeed alive. So was his quarian pet.  _Not only the disruptor of my operations, but a disgrace to humanity, showing how weak we are to ally with those...filthy quarian rats. That won't last._ At least without Shepard's little geth friend to help him, it would make reaping revenge on Shepard much easier...and fun.

He knew just how he was going to torture Shepard, but first he needed the right tools and the right people, not useless equipment and idiotic morons. He keyed the intercom and called for Sergeant Sulak, a batarian, but he was a tough son of a bitch, someone Vido could trust.

As Sulak stepped in, he motioned for his two squadmates to stay at station outside, he then stood in front of Vido's desk. "You wanted to see Santiago sir?" Vido smiled. A man who respected Vido's status as founder of the Blue Suns, respecter of rank. Not surprising from a ex-patriot to the Batarian Hegemony. "Yes, I have a little thing to show you." Vido motioned for Sulak to follow him, and follow him he did. Almost to well actually, as anyone who saw him would of thought he was an assassin waiting for the right chance.

They moved through the corridors of the Blue Suns base, going through numerous doors and checkpoints. Eventually, they reached a keycoded room. "This room must be pretty secret for that much of a complex code sir." Sulak stated. "Yes indeed it is, Sulak." Vido replied as the door sliced open revealing a dark room with a single, thick and fat pillar in the middle.

They approached it and it split apart in a horizontal fashion, with one half rising to the ceiling and the other to the ground. A blood red light illuminated a small device in the middle of the pillar. Sulak looked at the device with a frown. "What is that? Why is it so important to be surrounded by Reaper tech?" he asked. Vido looked at him with his annoying 3rd ugly grin.

Vido picked up the device in both hands and held it up high. He said, in his booming and intimidating, yet evil, voice, one that bounded across the walls and caused a merriad of echoes to follow.

"This I believe, is what they call and indoctrination device." His grin grew wider and uglier as he said it, so ugly a matter of fact, he swore he could see Sulak almost reel in disgust.

...

The day cycle had come to an end on Rannoch, and Tali lay down as she watched the sun retreat behind the horizon, seeking cover from the approaching darkness, which slowly consumed its rays of light. In its place, lay the stars, bright and beautiful, each one a planet. Earth, Palaven, Haestrom, Thessia, Irune, Dekuuna and many other homeworlds lay up there...

Tali reached up her arm and let her hands grab at the stars, her fingers trying to clasp around the planets above. She smiled, up there, somewhere were her friends. Kal, Lana, Joker, Garrus, Liara, Grunt, Wrex, Samara, Jacob, Miranda, Jack, and she had been glad to know them all. Kal and Lana were on Haestrom, so they weren't too far away. But all the others, she would miss them so much, Garrus and Liara the most. Garrus felt like her brother and Liara felt like a sister to her. John, Tali, Liara, Garrus. They had always looked out for each other, entrusted each other with their lives.

She sighed and got up. She still had work to do. If she didn't show up for the meeting with the Admiralty she could end up like Xen.  _Good. I hate being an Admiral._ But then her own words echoed in her mind.  _I'm an Admiral, people look to me for guidance. Public disagreement would divide the fleet._ There maybe no fleet to rely on anymore, but the Admiralty Board and Conclave were still the closest thing to a government her people had.

She jumped off the roof of the building landed with her feet. Bits of dirt shifted, marking her footprint. She had always loved how nature reacted to her presence. If only her mother, Meru, could see this. And father. She sighed yet again as she made her way back to the capital. It was almost completed thanks to the geth, and even with them gone, the progress done would make it a few days before the first city in 300 years stood on Rannoch.

Tali broke into a run, running through the crowded streets of the city, named  _Unastali._ She was absolutely blushing to the point of feeling like a boiled egg when she found out the city had been named that. It was ridiculous idol worship. But she accepted the honor, if only to give her people something to believe in.

She didn't look where she was going and as a result, bumped into a male quarian and, together, fell onto the ground, Tali flat out on top of the young quarian. She was blushing at the awkward position and moved to get off him. As soon as she stood up, she offered hand and pulled up the male. Then she instantly recognized the pattern of Clan Nara on his  _realk,_ and remembered exactly who it was.

"Veetor! It's good to see you." She stated. Veetor rubbed his visor, getting rid of the dust that had collected on it. "Tali'Zorah, I mean, Tali'Shepard, it's...good...to see you...again." Tali smiled, it was evident that Veetor still hadn't gotten used to large crowds or talking to women. Last time she was on the fleet, she had the odd feeling that he started  _Pemla'tiyl_ with Elan'Shiya vas Wursii and later found it to be true, although they were way into  _Hecs'tiyl,_ which meant they were so close to completing the bond and becoming lifemates.

"You too Veetor, so how's Elan?" Veetor had already informed her of his feelings for Elan, and she knew Elan had the same feelings for him and was already on  _Felz'tiyl,_ and was just waiting for Veetor to take the final path. Veetor wringed his fingers, "Well...she's fine, we spend...alot of time together...on the observation deck on the Wursii...but...well...she's kinda busy today so...I was meaning to ask you something...but...I was afraid you would..." Veetor began to look really nervous, as if he would faint. This was not a good sign, especially when it was Veetor.

"Yes?" Tali asked. She had to know what Elan had done to make Veetor this figdety. Veetor looked at her and took a deep breath, putting his hands behind his back so as not to play with them. "I'd like to ask you to perform the rites."

To say Tali was flabbergasted was an understatement. Her face was turning all different kinds of red. She felt on fire, so much so, that she wanted to rip the suit off. "I...wha...oh...keelah...um..." She was an Admiral, so Veetor had presumed she could perform the rites, maybe he'd errored in his judgment. Tali kept going until eventually she decided, "I'd...be honored to bond you and Elan. It would be my pleasure." Veetor gave a collective sigh of relief. "Thank you, Mrs. Shepard. You have no idea what this means to me..." Tali put her left hand on his right shoulder. "Trust me Veetor, I do."

Veetor nodded and then ran off. She smiled behind him and then continued running to the meeting. Her chat with Veetor had really clocked her off on time. As she rushed into the building, she saw Shala, Han, Zaal and Kar around a table. When she had rushed in, they all stopped talking and looked at her.

"You're late. 5 minutes late." Koris stated, "Are you going to make a habit of this Admiral?" Tali had a glance of Raan, who was shaking her head while clearly smiling behind her mask. Han wasn't easy to read, but his stance wasn't hostile. It was one of amusement. Kar she couldn't read at all, he hadn't looked at her in fact, he was still staring at the holo projection.

Before Tali could answer, Kar stated loudly, "I'll take her silence as a neutral position." Tali looked at him and then all four admirals before saying, "Never again, got sidetracked, sight seeing that's all. Will not happen again. To business shall we?" She said. They all nodded in approval, and turned back to the table. Tali moved until she was in the front, where she belonged. Technically she was Rael's replacement, making her unofficially the head of the Admiralty Board. The Admiral of Admirals.

"As we were saying, we need to prepare this area for construction." Kar said. He pointed to a stretch of land stretching from the  _Ogwer_  that was southeast of their current establishment to the mountains 10 kilometers from it. "There, we can begin construction of  _Rexa'rilk dis Culden_." Tali was shocked. They'd almost finished construction of this city, but yet they wanted to start on a new one.

"Wait, we haven't even finished  _Unastali_  yet and were starting a new city? Someone care to explain what's going on? The geth are gone, so there's no way this effort can be achieved." Everyone of the admirals looked at each other like a bunch of baffled  _Gusta'hich_. Then they all looked at her, when Koris spoke. "You really should of come to all those meetings." Koris stated. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Why? What's been going on that I haven't been informed about?" She asked, looking at each admiral expectingly. Waiting for a chance, Han'Gerrel spoke up, "Tali, you're right, the geth are dead and that has made efforts much more difficult. But we've developed a way around that."

Han waited for those words to sink then delivered the killer blow, "We've all reached agreement on it. Were rebuilding the Geth."

Tali didn't know what to say. Shocked? Yes. Happy? Yes. Angry that they didn't inform her? Sort've but that was partly her fault.  _Were rebuilding the Geth._ Those words echoed around in her mind like a catchy tune to a song. She looked to see that all the Admirals were looking for her to respond. Then Raan decided to deliver the next exciting bit.

"And we've already started. Admirals, if you'll look to you're left, I present to you the first geth rebuilt!" Everyone looked left slowly, but Tali looked around instantly at the word 'geth.' When she saw it walk in, she instantly recognized it. She couldn't believe her eyes. The same grey armor plating and hide, the same bluish 'flashlight' head.

"Creator Tali'Shepard, Creator Admirals, it is good to be back. We hope to have a colorful exchange of words."

It was Legion.

 **Saera:** Term used when speaking to ones lifemate. Literal translation: My souls soul. Other meanings include, but are not limited to: Keeper of my soul and My souls protector. Most commonly used word throughout the fleet by a quarian when speaking privately to their lifemate. Though unconfirmed by any quarian, there are implications that this word holds extreme intimacy as well as absolute trust. No single human word or phrase encompassed all that this one short word implies as it appears to contain both dominance and submissive traits.

 **Vas:** Once again, for you people new to Mass Effect. Literal Translation: "Crew of"

 **Nar:** Once again, for you people new to Mass Effect. Literal Translation: "Child of"

 **Vasei:** Temporary appointment. Used when the person's ship is destroyed. Literal Translation: "Former Crew of"

 **Unastali:** Literal Translation: Tali's Courage

 **Realk:** Cloth covering used by the quarians. It is used to describe not just the hood seen on most but any material adornment.

 **Pemla'tiyl:** Term for courtship. Literal translation: Pathway to the mind, the first of the three phases that lead to bonding. The period of time where the couple learns of one another through a deep sharing of thoughts. May lead to bonding or just a very deep friendship.

 **Hecs'tiyl:** Term of courtship. Literal translation: Pathway to the heart. Second of three: Signifying the period where the needs of both begin to overrule the needs of self. Almost always leads to bonding though this phase is usually the longest of the three.

 **Felz'tiyl:** Term of courtship. Literal translation: Pathway to the soul. Third of three: Signifies the period in which the two slowly realize that without the other they are incomplete. Once this phase is entered only ones death can stop the bonding.

 **Ogwer:** Term used to describe a major rivers opening onto the sea. Literal translation: High mouthed waterway. Imagine if the grand canyon on earth ended abruptly leaving the high cliffs on either side of the river and the sea before it. Unlike a fjord, where the river is wide and usually meets the cliff/mountain walls, an Ogwer has a large flood plain between the river and the cliffs.

 **Rexa'rilk dis Culden:** Literal Translation: Home of the Ancestors

 **Gusta'hich:** An animal native to Rannoch. Literal Translation: Alert Rats. Similiar to Meerkats in behaviour, these animals would run on a 3 hour program of acting sentry where their heads would turn around like watchtower lights. When Tali said "baffled Gusta'hich" she was referring to when Gusta'hich were confused, they would look at each other like mindless zombies.

 **Geth:** Once again, for you people new to Mass Effect. Literal Translation: Servant of the People.

**:0 That's right, Legion's back baby, back, and he's got emotions! But how? And what of Shepard? Will they be reunited? FIND OUT, in Chapter 5: Reunification. STAY TUNED!**

**Now that I'm done acting like one of those annoying reality show hosts, I'd like to say that I'm baffled by the feedback I'm getting. I fully expected it to be quite unpopular. As hard as you find that to believe, it's the truth. Anyway, I was planning to make this a 10 chapter story, but I've got so many ideas I wish to incorporate that I originally had for a fanfic called "Reaping Death", that I decided to extend it. I hope this will make it past 50 chapters and possibly more. You curious about this DISCARDED fanfic? Yes? No? TOO BAD, I'm telling you anyway. You can establish your complete boredom and disregard for fanfictional history in the review section (or you can be wise and just skip it)**

**Originally I was making this fanfic that started during the End Run of Mass Effect 2 and would continue through Mass Effect 3 all the way through to the cataclysmic ending that caused so much public outcry and caused what I have to say was the biggest fanbase revolution in gaming I've ever seen. Now I won't rage about that, no need, Extended Cut came out and was absolutely amazing as the end memorial scene made even a man like me cry (don't judge me :'( I hate seeing Tali so sad)). So I'll skip that. Like I was saying, it was going to follow those lines and of course, as a massive Tali fan and Talimancer, it would be a romance between Tali'Zorah and Shepard. Unfortunetly, this story failed in so many ways that he truly upsets me. I was forced to scrap it, no matter how reluctance I showed, I gained the strength to scrap it. Here's a list of reasons why.**

**First reason, by the time it was ready for publishing in the first chapter, ME2 fanfics were no longer being made. I thought it pointless to make a fanfic that would be so outdated and unpopular. Why dwell on the past, huh? Second reason, the storyline had so many plotholes and flaws that it was humiliating. For one, the series stated that it was ONE YEAR AFTER the Collector Base attack when Tali and Shepard became married (I'll get to that later), when ME3 was only six months after ME2. It would of left people confused and raging at me for not following canon. Third Reason was that I had not even read To Survive by Callinstel at that time of its production. The only reason I learned of it was because I was bored and decided to look at the Tali discussions on the Bioware forums and well...here we are. A fanfic I'm tempted to rename "To Survive: Earth." or "Aftermath." So yeah. A clear example of this lack of knowledge of To Survive was the marriage section. Originally I was going to have quarian customs being the same as human customs, which would destroy the imaginative and creative aspect I was striving to achieve in this fanfic.**

**I have many more reasons, but I've bored you enough. If you want to know more, comment in the review section. If you got bored reading this, then, I wasted my time writing this section. If you took the time to read it, thank you and know that I appreciate it. Now, go on. I'm sure your waiting for the next chapter, don't let me keep you. Legion is back! YAY! Or you can read those other fantastic fanfics like Mass Effect 3: Aftermath (don't type that up, you'll get a merriad of results, XD), Come Back to Me, Home Sweet Home (not found on , but on ), Adamo, Shepard's Choice, To Survive trilogy etc. (Note: These are all Tali+(M) Shepard romance fanfics. Penalities for igonring this warning do apply. Each sold seperately). I recommend all of them, and yeah. BYE BYE! And I leave you with a special message from our sponsor, Omega4Productions:**

**"Daisy Daisy, give me your answer do.**

**I'm half crazy all for the love of you.**

**It won't be a stylish marriage,**

**I can't afford a carriage.**

**But you'll look sweet,**

**Upon the seat,**

**Of a Bicycle made for two."**

**That was a Valentine Day Song called "Daisy Daisy" that was referenced in ME2 by Joker who states to EDI, "You start singing Daisy Bell and I'm done."**


	6. Reunification

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new player enters the field. Word of Shepard's survival spreads through the galaxy like wildfire...and finally reaches Rannoch.

_**Reunification** _

He could barely believe what his eyes were seeing. What was once the mighty home and base of operations of Cerberus, or as the Illusive Man would call it, the big pumping heart of the organization, the idea, was now nothing but a shell of its original majesty. Complex machinery was now lying destroyed, useless.

Whole beams had collapsed, littering the ground with rubble, debris and other bits of machinery. The Reaper Heart was missing, but now the rest of the Human Proto-Reaper had been destroyed by Alliance heavy rounds and structural collapses. This is the majority of what Sarann Francis, or as many called him "Hawk", saw until he reached the center of the base, where the man who served as the brain of the organization, once resided.

The room was a testament to the battle that took place in it. Shepard, Tali and EDI, all facing off against Kai Leng, frankly a disgrace to Cerberus. He wasn't surprised Shepard took him down, and both congratulated and hated him for it. Hawk had always been TIM's favourite, so much so that he trusted Hawk with close details, including his real name: Jack Harper. Kai Leng was second on the list, but Shepard had been just a tool.

The room's floor plates were a mess. Many had been torn out of the ground by Kai Leng's attacks, others relocated to other areas in the room, revealing the complex network of cabling that lay beneath. The displays that TIM used for status updates and to talk to his operatives was malfunctioning, sparking in and out of existence. And TIM's chair itself...lying half way across the room.

As he looked outside, he could see the fully refurbished Hunley II, his flagship, Cerberus' flagship ever since the Kusmor was destroyed by the Alliance forces in the battle that left Cronos in this state. He keyed the comm, "Captain, have all our surviving ships rally at Cronos Station. It's time to rebuild this idea." Without waiting for an answer, he disconnected and picked up TIM's chair. Replacing it in its rightful place, he moved behind it, letting it's smooth metallic edge sweep under his hand.

He smiled,  _TIM had been the symbol of this organization, and I shall continue his goal of human dominance. Preservation of humanity; at all costs._ He turned the chair around and sat down in it, turning it back around to look at the dying consoles in front of him. He managed to get the main one one functioning minimally, but they all needed major repairs.  _These and the rest of the goddamn station_ he thought to himself.

As he prepared to contact Hunley to drop off tech specialists to repair the consoles, he heard a deep, commanding booming through the speaker. And it sent chills up his spine.

...

"This has to be a dream. Legion, you're dead. I'm sure of it. I mean, I watched you die." Tali was still finding it impossible to grasp the concept of Legion actually being alive. It was like John coming up to her right now and saying "Hey, what did I miss?" she shook those thoughts from her head.

Legion gave her a look of confusion, it's flaps moving upwards, "Creator Admirals, have I caused a disturbance? I may leave if it will allow organic cohesion." Tali then felt a sharp pain flow down her spine. Turning around she exclaimed, "OW!" as she saw Raan backing off. "What was that for?" Tali spat. Then she took it back, "I'm sorry, please forgive my attitude. I..." Tali then regained her posture immediately,  _You're an admiral you silly little bosh'tet, act like it._ She took the stance of an admiral, although if she said so herself, she mirrored Zaal a little too much for her liking.

"I'm just proving that you're not in a dream. Otherwise you would have woken up already." Tali nodded in agreement then turned back to Legion. "I'm sorry, Legion. It's just...how did you do it? I did you...survive?"

Legion waited a second to answer, "During my time aboard the Normandy, EDI and I constructed a portable console that could store a geth's memory unit if incase of meltdown. I took it with me to Rannoch when we were forced to part ways, and when I was forced to upload my personality imprint, my memories and soul were transferred into the console by the geth. I owe my existence to EDI." Legion finished explaining. Tali let those words dig deep.  _To think a console had accidentally saved Legion's life._

"It's just...good to see you again, Legion." Everyone was surprised by Tali's reply. Quarians were known for resoluting AI exchanges using weapon barrels, but Tali had said out loud how much she missed an AI. She moved forward and put out her hand. Another surprise. Tali had spent enough time with John to learn a few human traditions including this one: a handshake. Legion took her hand and shook it, before their hands retired to their sides.

Turning back to the admirals they returned to work. "Well, like before, we should begin reconstructing geth platforms immediately. How long Legion to you estimate the geth population to reach original levels?" Han asked.

Legion stated faster than expected, "Original Population will take 15 months, 7 days and 4 hours to reach. However, a sustainable and acceptable population can be made in 62 days." Everyone was surprised by Legion's quick answer. It usually took geth ages to answer a question due to other geth needing to reach consensus. But their were no other geth, Legion was it. Han looked very surprised, but it was Kar who interrupted, "Wait, we'll need factories to even begin producing geth." Legion turned to Kar and answered with the exact same speed.

"This has been taken care of. Numerous Geth facilities survived the Creator invasion and are still operable, but no geth around to operate them. Facilities were based off Creator design, and shouldn't be difficult to operate." Tali turned off her omnitool, finishing the calculations she had been running. She said loud and clearly, "I'll coordinate with Legion on how to gather and efficiently use the resources needed for this." Almost forgetting that she was head of the Admiralty, she quickly turned back to them and said "This meeting is adjourned."

All admirals nodded and began to file out. She smiled, what she said so much like Councilor Tevos. When the final admiral had left, which was always Han, as he liked to think about things quite alot, she turned back to Legion.

"Well Legion, we have  _alot_ of work to do." Tali said.

"Indeed. Tali'Shepard, would you mind teaching me the meaning of sentience?" Legion asked.

"Wow, that's the first time you just called me 'Tali'Shepard'. You're on the move Legion, you'll be an emotion loving geth in no time. And yes, of course."

Then walked out together as their voices died off into the starry night.

...

Zaeed picked up the crate with both hands, moving it towards the truck. Kasumi had gone to help with the wounded along with Miranda. He had caught a glimpse of that crazy biotic bitch and the other asari chick they called 'Samara,' they looked like they were leading these biotic kids to lift crates with their hands.

Zaeed had wanted so much to tell them the good news, but when an Admiral told you to keep your mouth shut, especially one with a history such as Hackett, then even a merc did what he was told. He let the crate fall onto the back of the truck and then closed the back door. The truck drove off and Zaeed sat on the fifth crate for a rest.

"Well, Zaeed Massani, most feared bounty hunter in the galaxy, I thought you'd be taller." Zaeed turned to the source of the voice and saw a feminine outline in an Alliance soldier uniform headed towards him. He knew this woman. "Huh, Ashley Williams, what can this bounty hunter do for you? Oh, wait. You're a Spectre, you going to arrest me or something? If so, I'd like to see you try, sweetcheeks." He took a sip of his water.

She smiled, "Trust me, if I wanted you arrested, you'd be on the ground, hands behind you're back and knocked out. I wouldn't give it a second thought. So, what you been doing to help clean up?" She sat next to him on the sixth crate. She let the pistol she was carrying around fall to the ground.

Zaeed grunted his response and then when Ashley didn't say anything, he decided to respond, "Nothing much. Leaving most of it to the guddamn rookies and tough soldier boys and girls." Ash laughed, "You call everyone rookies. Well, everyone except Shepard..." She stopped there. A tear dropped down her face but she wiped it away.

"...and Tali. That quarian chick has got a lot of fighting spirit in her. She'd make a good mercenary, I offered her a job, but she refused. Oh well, she don't know what she's missing out on." Zaeed took another sip as Ash laughed at that last bit. "What about Garrus? Shepard, Tali and Garrus. The inseperables." Zaeed glanced at her then examined his drink as if he was sure it had poison in it.

"Garrus seems to me to be some turian hotshot who thinks because he's a pussy who hides behind sniper scopes it makes him deadly." Zaeed responded in his usual cold demeanour. Ashley laughed again, "Garrus always did have a habit of doing that." Ashley then picked her pistol back up. "I'll catch you later" she got up and was about to leave when Zaeed's voice sounded behind her. "Shepard...was one hell of a gutsy hero. I can believe I'm saying it, but I was honored to serve under him." Ashley was surprised, was this Zaeed she was talking to? Or his clone? Or had he finally changed?

She just smiled and then turned back to walk off. There was nothing to say, nothing that would change the facts. They were here, Shepard wasn't. Damn it, that's cold thinking. She wiped the other tears that were forming in her eyes.

She suddenly wished he hadn't fallen in love with Tali so he could of told him her feelings about him. And for once in her life, she hated Tali. Then she heard a constant beeping on her omnitool and brought up its display. As she read the report, her mouth dropped open. No, that couldn't be right. She read it again and again. No, it was legit.

Shepard was alive, and it was time for her to pay him a visit. Brand new tears began to stream down her face, but this time, they weren't ones of sadness, but joy.

...

"Garrus Vakarian, sir! We have a message for you, classified your eyes only" the soldier stated. Garrus was spending his time in a prefab Turian apartment block on Palaven. He had just seen his sister two minutes earlier and was planning to take a nap when the soldier stepped in. "Upload it to my omnitool, and make sure noone else interrupts me."

The soldier saluted and began typing in his omnitool. Once done, he saluted a final time before stepping through the door and leaving. Garrus sighed, leaned back in his bunk and opened his omnitool. He streamed down into his inbox and opened the message. When he read it, he was lost for words. It was almost as if he'd been told he had been just elected for Primarch. He was speechless.

But he didn't need speech to convey the emotions he felt. His whole mind raced at a million miles per hour, trying to piece together the legitimacy of this message. But when he finished, he had only one conclusion.

"By the spirits...you crazy bastard." Garrus leaped out of the bunk and keyed the intercom, "Contact General Corinthus, tell him I'll be gone awhile. Going to see an old friend" then he immediately disconnected and grabbed his armor. Once all fitted on, he was about to race out the door when he almost forgot.

 _I'm buying._ Garrus grabbed the bottles of Turian Brandy and human wine, and raced out the door to the shuttle bay.

...

As the shuttle zoomed through Thessia's atmosphere, Liara took a deep breath and absorbed the air through her nose. She immediately regretted it. The stale and ungodly smell of decaying corpses and smoke had poisoned the air. It was like trying to breath in a terrible smell, impossible. She put on her mask.

"Miss T'Soni, were nearing the landing zone. Sergeant Urmala will be waiting for you" the pilot announced. She had always respected Liara, and was honored to be her pilot. Liara turned to the cockpit, "Yes, of course" the pilot was ready to respond when a message beeped over the intercom.

"You have a message. Patching it to your omnitool." Liara brought up her omnitool and opened the message as soon as it became available. When she read it, well, to say Liara was confused plus happy was an understatement. Her hand closed the omnitool and her head snapped towards the cockpit.

"Contact the Sergeant, tell her I'm putting Lehana in charge. Pilot, take us to Earth." The pilot was confused, "But my orders are..." Liara gave her a scowl, "Orders won't stop me from seeing my friend."  _And's Jossa's father._ Fresh tears fell down her face, but of joy, not sadness.

"Aye, Aye ma'am." The pilot then smiled as she sent the message to Lehana and Sergeant Urmala then brought the shuttle up into the atmosphere, setting acourse for Earth.

...

Joker wasn't just happy, he was happier than he'd ever been. Only 4 hours ago had Hackett informed Joker of Shepard's survival, and the happiness refused to leave. He didn't want it to either, Shepard was alive, and he intended to be there for him.

"Joker, you keep jumping up and down like that, and you'll not only break the chair, but you'll break your bones too." Samantha said from behind him. He stopped and turned to see her smiling down at him.

"Come on Samantha, this is the commander were talking about!" Joker said, "The crazy bastard will have alot of stories to tell." Samantha giggled, "and probably more compliments on my part." Joker turned back to the console. The Normandy was heading back to Earth. He could imagine Tali's face right now.

"Yeah, well we'll have tales to tell him about. I can't imagine the emotions running through Tali right now. Happiness? Joy? Excitement? Hell, so many emotions, its hard to tell." Tali must be all three. Hell, if EDI was standing in front of him right now, he'd be the same. The thought of EDI still brought him sadness, but he learnt to control the emotion in his voice.

Samantha renewed her smile, "And with that mask, it makes it all the more harder." Joker shook his head, "Shepard tought me a trick. You can tell if Tali's smiling or not." Samantha crossed her arms and began to lean on her left hip, "I'm listening" she said. Joker chuckled. "It's easy really, if Tali's eyes seem to expand inside her helmet, that's when you can tell" he explained.

"I see. I wonder what other emotions we can learn." Samantha said. They both went silent as the counter read 20 minutes out from Earth.

...

Miranda smiled as she helped Jacob move the crate into position. "Well, that's the last one." Jacob nodded and moved next to her. He exclaimed, "finally..." they both sat onto the truck's rear entrance, both giving a collective sigh of relief.

"So, how's Brynn?" Miranda asked. Jacob turned to Miranda and smiled. "She's doing okay, helping rebuild a ruined planet and being pregnant at the same time can be difficult, but were managing. She's managing. Were thinking of getting married." Jacob declared. Miranda smiled, "I'm happy for you."

Jacob smiled back and looked up at her, "Thanks. What about you? How's Oriana?" Jacob asked. Miranda nodded as she spoke, "She's fine, helping rebuild, once were done here, I'm thinking of taking her to Horizon, were building a home there."

"Well, if you need bodyguards, you know who to call. And I'm the best chance you've got, those guddamn rookies are useless" Zaeed's voice came from behind the truck. He had just been sent a message from Hackett with the simple words "Let there be smiles", Zaeed nodded, noone except Kasumi and himself would know what he meant by that message. Better to tell these guys first.

"Ah, Zaeed. Don't you have crates to pile up?" Miranda asked, irritated. She never liked mercs, and Zaeed was a clear example why. His offer of a security detail surprised her, but didn't change her opinion on him. Zaeed chuckled and leaned on the truck. "You shut up for a second princess, and I'll tell you a little secret so good, you're going to be clawing at Bustan Hospital afterward." He said. This grabbed Miranda and Jacob's attention.

"Bustan Hospital? Why?" Jacob asked, easily as confused as Miranda was. He wished Zaeed would just spit it out. Zaeed smiled, "That crazy bastard is alive. Shepard is in Bustan Hospital, breathing, moving, alive."

The reaction he got destroyed his expectations. He was almost knocked aside as Miranda burst from the truck and headed for the driver's seat. Jacob appeared to have the same thinking, as he took the passenger seat. Zaeed opened his mouth to complain, but instead jumped onto the truck.

As the truck began moving he heard an alliance officer come running towards them. "HEY! WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING!?" Miranda poked her head and shouted back, "TO SEE A FRIEND!" The truck sped down the road, to fast for anyone to catch up.

Zaeed relaxed but was jolted up by the voice behind him. "Shep has some very devoted friends." Turning, he saw Kasumi materialize in front of one of the crates. He shook his head.

...

"Prangley! Rodrigez! I don't call that work! I call that slacking! So get the fu...get the hell up and start picking up those boxes! STEP ON IT YOU PIECES OF...weaklings." Jack shouted as loud as she could. Rodrigez had taken a shot to the leg, but that was no excuse to slack. It had been healed anyway.

Jack ran towards the building nearby as the biotic kids returned to work, using their biotics to either remove rubble and recover the dead, or to remove fallen wreckage for people to move through and recover personal items. As she entered, she found Samara in her customary position of meditation, legs crossed and her arms in front of her, as if holding the sphere of blue biotic energy in her hands.

She stood there, admiring the sight. She had learned alot from Samara, and looked forward to learning more. Samara smiled, "Jack, you do know I'm aware of your presence. There is no point in hiding." Jack smiled and moved to sit next to Samara. She did the same as Samara, and tried to form the sphere Samara had in her hands.

It was not as powerful as Samara's, it was transparent and weak, but it held. She closed her eyes as she spoke to Samara. "I wish to learn so much more Samara." Samara replied without even flinching from her position, "You will. But unfortunetly, not from me. My time away from my daughters, daughter, has been to much. I must to see Falere again, then return to my duty as a Justicar." Jack sighed, her time with Samara had been very helpful, but she regretted it having to end.

They sat in silence until the familiar sounds of a omnitool beeping broke the silence. Samara realized it was hers, and activated it. Her sphere disappeared, tiny biotic particles all that remained, "It would seem I've received a message from Bustan Hospital. And..." Samara stopped as Samara read the message.

"By the goddess..." Samara said, then she got up and with a flick of her arm, encouraged Jack to get up. "What the fuck is going on? Where are we going?" Jack said as she followed a very fast walking Samara. Samara didn't even look at her, "To Shepard." Jack stopped. Samara noticed and stopped as well, looking back.

"That's horseshit. Shepard is..."  _Wait, what if he is alive?_ "Fuck it, I need to see this for myself." She continued and Samara picked up the pace as well. Soon, they found a vehicle and entered it. Jack went into the driver's seat and soon they were heading off down the road towards Bustan Hospital.

...

Grunt chucked as he once again shot the pyjak. Why Wrex had left him in charge was beyond him. But he didn't care, he was having to much fun shooting pyjaks to care. He killed the final pyjak and with a sigh of victory, reloaded his Claymore.

He was getting ready to take the next shot when the scout commander approached him. "Urdnot Grunt sir, you have message from Earth. Something about Shepard being alive at Bustan Hospital..." Grunt smiled, a krogan smile. Pushing past the scout commander, he shouted back "Tell Urdnot Talgan he's in command while I'm gone!" Running by, he heads for the hangar.

He doesn't know how to fly shuttles, well, time to learn.

...

Javik looked out upon the Presidium of the Citadel, the once majestic towers now reduced to rubble and debris. He saw the many asari, quarians, salarians, humans, turians and many other races helping sift through the debris and recovering the dead.

The Prothean was surprised by this unification that he'd seen in these aliens. They worked together, not as slaves, but willingly helped each other out. It was something lacking in his cycle, where all the races had been subjugated to serve under their rule, as slaves and forced to serve his people. It was something that Javik realized had been vital in the Empire's destruction. The Reaper's had used the race's prejudice to turn them against his people, which only aided the Reaper cause.

He smiled, for the first time in 50,000 years, Javik smiled. It was a rarity for the Prothean people, but he had done it. Here, he had thought he was superior, but it was indeed himself who was inferior. He pulled out his knife.

He had promised to help Liara write a book on Protheans, but he was so desperate to join his blood brothers, that he had to end his life now. He was in a secret location, and with none of his race existent, it was time to make their extinction complete.

He raised the knife to his throat as to slit it, but was interrupted by a loud beeping. He dropped the knife as his omnitool as this cycle called them, kept beeping. He opened it the way the human Traynor told him too and displayed the message. He read it until his eyes fell on the last two words.  _Shepard's alive._

Those two words erased all thought of suicide as he ran out the door, looking for a shuttle.

...

"Esteban, thought you'd be here" James was onboard the SSV Turanga, and of course, Cortez was assigned there as well. Cortez chuckled, "Of course, where did you expect me to be? Hidden inside the cockpit of a shuttle? Wait, don't answer that."

James smiles before looking back out at Earth. "Of course you'll be there, Hero man." Cortez joined him in gazing upon Earth. He was about to ask James another question when his omnitool beeped. "Wait a sec." He walks off and accesses the message.

When he sees those two words, he can't help but feel happiness flood through him. He pats James' back, causing him to look back. "What Esteban? What's wrong?" He asked. Cortez just smiled, "Nothing's wrong. Nothing at all. Actually, things just got better." He turns the omnitool so James can see and smiles at the reactions on his face.

"Loco just reached all new levels of Loco." Is all he said as he and Cortez raced for the Hangar Bay.

...

" _Saera,_ I think we'd better return to the camp. We need the rest" Kal called over their dedicated channel. He didn't hear anything until Lana's response sounded, "Just a couple more minutes, I'm very close..." Kal smiled behind his mask, he knew Lana was devoted, but they really needed to return to camp. "Come on, their ordering us back to camp. I'd rather not see my lifemate getting herself removed from field missions."

Lana smiled and responded in kind, "Very well,  _inszel,_ I'm returning to you." Kal watched as Lana's head popped up from the top of the rock and she jumped down. She lost her balance and was about to fall when she executed a forward roll, right into Kal's awaiting arms. She let him embrace her and she tapped his visor.

"Come on, we'd better get back now." Kal let her go and they walked hand in hand back to the camp. They only stopped when Lana's omnitool lit up. "I'm getting a message..." she opened her omnitool and studied the contents, "it's from Earth, Bustan Hospital. I wonder why..." she answered her own question by continuing to read.

"Keelah...Kal, look..." she showed him the message. He also gasped in surprise. Looking at Lana, he smiled. Lana noticed this, even through his visor. "What are you thinking of, Kal..." Kal, stilling holding her hand, began to race off into the camp, straight for the shuttle.

"Oh, well on that I agree. But I'm driving, I've seen you drive." She said, concluding the sentence with a giggle. As they entered the shuttle, Lana powered up the systems just as Tia walked in. "Kal? Lana? What are you doing?" Kal just looked at her for a second, "You might as well come. Shepard's alive, were going to see him."

Before Tia could respond, the door closed and the shuttle raced off the ground. Seeing no point in resisting, Tia gave a sigh of defeat, "The admirals will have me for this."

...

"Hmmm? Sorry, Legion. I was distracted. Run that by me again." Tali was very nervous about doing the rites of bonding for Elan and Veetor. She'd never done it before and was unsure of how she'd manage. She looked at Legion with a great curiosity. She was so glad to see him again, and even happier that he thought like a organic now.

They were in her apartment looking at diagrams for geth platforms. Legion wanted to construct Colossi but to have them serve as heavy lifters and "trucks." Tali agreed, but only the exception that only a few be built, so as to conserve resources. That was her excuse, but she still had a fear of giant Colossi walking around the city.

"Creator Admiral Tali'Shepard, you are showing distinct signs of fatigue. You're form is in need of rest." Legion stated. Tali wanted to continue, but Legion was right. They had been up all night and all day working on this. She swore, if anyone saw her face, they'd think she's a boogeyman, I think that's what John called it.

"I agree, but...no, you're right. I really do need some rest and could really use it. Continue this tommorow?" They had gotten up as Tali talked and by the time she finished, they were in her room. It was basic for now, nothing but a sleeping mat with a dresser next to it. On the wall was Shepard's picture of the Migrant Fleet that they originally shared in their cabin. Perched ontop of the dresser was her possessions, including the figure of the priestess of compassion, something John bought her long ago.

Next to that was the picture John took of them after their first intimate exchange, which she had printed off and framed. Their plague hung on her apartment door. Hidden in one of the drawers of her dresser was the present she gave John of herself on Rannoch. She didn't want to throw it away, it and the multiple things she had, reminded her of him. She may move on, but a lifemate will never forget their incompleteness.

They stopped by her bed. The apartments had sterile environments, so she took off her visor. "Yes Creator, and I would advise at checking you're omnitool, it beeped 2 minutes ago." Tali nodded, but not before letting out a big yawn. Legion turned and began heading for the exiting door, as Tali activated her omnitool.

As she read the message, her eyes glued to the last two words.  _Shepard's alive._ She was stuck to the bed like a door was to its hinge, she couldn't move. She  _wouldn't_ move. Her eyes glistened with tears, and they began streaming down, a mixture of pain, relief, sadness and joy. She closed her eyes and remembered John kissing her visor as he went to his death, her feet kicking at Garrus.

"You..." No, not yet he hasn't. She still couldn't believe it, within a moment, all her cherished memories of John and her time together whizzed past. Her tears were intense now, she couldn't do it anymore. She let it out. "KEELAH YES! YES! YES!" She jumped up and down and even picked up their picture, kissing John's image. She grabbed her mask like an eagle would its prey, and clasped it back on.

"LEGION WAIT!" She raced out the door and caught up to the Geth. It turned around but not before she collided head on into him. Legion didn't budge, but Tali almost cracked her visor. Too excited to care, she turned to Legion. "John is alive! JOHN'S ALIVE!" She hugged the geth as if it were Shepard itself.

"Shepard-Captain is alive. I just received the message myself. Judging by you're actions, you feel an erge to mate with you're lifemate." Legion said. Tali broke the hug and gave him a look of disgust, "What? No, I'm just happy that..." Legion moved it's flaps, "That was a joke."

Tali shook her head, holding her hand to her visor. "That wasn't funny Legion. I shall teach you which is which but only once we get to Earth!" Tali grabbed Legion, but there was no need. They ran out onto the street. She ran towards the Admiralty's HQ to acquire their shuttle. They raced through the crowds, Tali running like she never had before.

"TALI! Where are you rushing off to?" Tali didn't need to look, and didn't want to know anyway. That was Malra's voice, Han'Gerrel's lifemate. "Will you stop!?" She ignored the voice and when she finally reached the controls, opened the shuttle doors. She jumped into the pilot seat and began take off procedures. Before she could, she heard Malra's voice again, but much closer, like right behind her.

"Stop this instant and tell me what's going on?" She turned and before thinking, began speaking in rapid speech "John-is-alive, I-have-to-go-to-Earth, must-get-there, don't-care-about-responsibilities-right-now, must-see-my-lifemate!" Before thinking of the consequences, she turned around and closed the door. Malra jumped backwards at the the sudden change in her vision. Seeing the door she yells "Bosh'tet!" just as the shuttle takes off and speeds into the atmosphere.

"Admiral Tali'Shepard, you're treatment of Creator Malra'Gerrel was what you'd call rude." Tali didn't care, she had only one goal: to be reunited with her lifemate. She felt a sudden sick sensation in her stomach, and reeled back. "Arggh...I feel sick. Something wrong with my stomach." Then it was gone as quick as it came.

_Odd, I'm sure the room was sterile. Must have been the rush of adrenaline or something._

"I'm coming John, my  _Saera,_ Nothing will stop me from reaching you."

 **Bosh'tet:** Thought by many non-quarians to be the quarian equivalent of "son of a bitch" or "bastard." Surprisingly, it is actually the name of a animal native to Rannoch, similiar to Earth rats. It is a rodent to lives my scavenging, but has a very low intelligence, is quite irritating and lazy. It eats the excrement of other animals, using what's let of it as a home and the undigested bits as sustenance. It will eat any dung, even its own. It will defend its dung pile at any cost, even its own kind, and has been known to fight to the death. Quarians used it as a curse word for people who are being stupid, unresponsive, irritating or fighting for a worthless cause or reason.

 **Saera:** Term used when speaking to ones lifemate. Literal translation: My souls soul. Other meanings include, but are not limited to: Keeper of my soul and My souls protector. Most commonly used word throughout the fleet by a quarian when speaking privately to their lifemate. Though unconfirmed by any quarian, there are implications that this word holds extreme intimacy as well as absolute trust. No single human word or phrase encompassed all that this one short word implies as it appears to contain both dominance and submissive traits.

 **Inszel:** Term of status or standing within a social circle. Literal translation: Most trusted confidant and partner. Used to describe the personal relationship of an individual. Implies a deep personal connection. Humans would say girlfriend or boyfriend but these only touch the surface of what it truly means.

**I'm seriously thinking of renaming this To Survive: Earth or To Survive: Aftermath.**

**If you think I should, post it in the review section then state which is better.**

**If you think I shouldn't, once again, post it in the review section.**

**Thanks :)**


	7. Journey to the Center of Humanity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Normandy crew races to be with Shepard. None more so than Tali'Shepard herself.

_**Journey to the Center of Humanity** _

Johnson continued to gaze unmerrily at the sky, his rifle holstered. He took a puff from his cigarette and then threw it on to the ground, using his left foot to crush the butt. He then looked back up at the sky.

He was bored, as in super bored. All he had to do was just stand here and guard the entrance to Bustan Hospital, the only friggin hospital within 60 kilometers that isn't blown to hell. Now they had wounded salarians, quarians, turians and many other xenos rushing into the numerous care facilities they had available.

He blinked as he saw a light in the sky, getting bigger and ever closer. As he narrowed his vision, he saw it was a shuttle, but not a modern shuttle, this one was ancient. He recognized the design, it was Krogan.

 _What the dev..._ His eyes opened wide as he saw that shuttle wasn't stopping. He dived out of the way and his feet were a hairslength away from the crashing shuttle, which slided along into a garden patch.

He quickly recovered and picked up his rifle, and began approaching the shuttle. He levelled the rifle at the door and yelled out, "Come out where I can see you, now! Hands in the air!"  _If the shuttle is owned by a krogan, I'd better start running. What am I thinking!?_ He began shaking as he continued towards the shuttle, driven by military instinct.

He could hear a the owner, definitely krogan by the sound of the voice, yelling curses in a unintellagble language. As he stopped, the door shot open as the krogan's voice became loud and  _very_ clear. "Damn Pyjaks who made this shuttle need to rethink the design. Bloody thing is...ah, a human." The giant krogan was a terrifyingly intimidating sight.

He had blood red eyes and armor to suit, his right fist firmly clenched over a Claymore shotgun. He gulped, that shotgun would rip him apart. The krogan wore a smile. He really should have ran.

"Who...Who...are you? What is you're business here?" Johnson asked. He closed his eyes, waiting the imminent sound of a shotgun going off. "Open you're eyes Shepard, you can change you're pants later." Johnson opened his eyes.  _Shepard has krogan friends? Damn._

"I'm sorry, my name isn't Shepard." Johnson replied, slowly letting his rifle point at the ground, but the butt still firmly placed in his shoulder. His avenger was a peashooter compared to that Claymore. The krogan chuckled, "Don't you think I know that? No, I was speaking in my native tongue. In Krogan, Shepard means Hero!" the krogan says loudly, chuckling as he goes. "Now, time to see Shepard."

The soldier shakingly raised his rifle as the krogan attempted to leave the shuttle, "Sorry mister...but I have orders too..." The krogan looked down at him, his smile still evident. "I am Urdnot Wrex, and you will not stop me from seeing my friend. Plus, you're stance proves you're about to move out of the way. I'd rather not walk in with you're guts all over my legs." The krogan named Wrex said.

Johnson did, surprisingly, move left. He followed his orders, but he wasn't dying just to protect Shepard from the paparazzi. He moved left even further, and the krogan just glanced at him as he marched inside, scaring numerous nurses and doctors, who took cover immediately.

...

"Tali'Shepard, thrusters reaching full capacity. Recommend abortion of further speed enhancement attempts" Legion said, trying to reason with the creator. It was in vain, when a quarian wanted to reach their lifemate, nothing would stop them, not even an army of geth, reapers, cerberus, mercs or krogan.

Tali was desperate, but she wasn't stupid. She wasn't going to get to John in a coffin, so she slowed the engine speed to military speed. She monitored the various panels, making sure she hadn't overworked anything. She sighed, and smiled. John was alive. He was actually alive, and soon, she could hold him again.

The thought of John in her arms was a thought that had driven Tali to the borders of insanity. Ever since departing Rannoch, she hadn't drank, slept, or eaten. Legion was pestering her to eat or at least take a 15 minute nap, but she wasn't budging.

She then realized how selfish she was being. She had completely forgotten to tell Veetor or Elan about her departure. She cursed at her selfishness, she had put her own need over the needs of Veetor and Elan. She considered turning the shuttle around, but her emotions had won over logic. She had to hold John again.

The next thing had been completely unexpected, and unwelcomed. They were being contacted by another quarian shuttle, which was close behind them and requesting docking permission. She opened a channel only to hear a familiar, "So, so you're going for Shepard too?" It was Lana's voice.

"Lana? But what about Kal? Haestrom?" Lana laughed at Tali's question, "I would never leave my lifemate behind, he was the one who suggested it anyway, plus we also have a unexpected visitor. Can we dock? This thing is falling apart anyway, it must be 50 years old. I knew we should never have recycled these old salarian shuttles."

"Docking granted, see you in a minute." Tali responded. Smiling, she moved to the hatch as she heard the shuttle clasp on. She was still curious as to how they knew she was onboard. As the door opened, Kal and Tia stepped in.  _So Tia tagged along as well._

Kal immediately stopped in the shuttle as he saw Legion. "But I thought you were..." He stopped as Lana gave out a gasp of surprise. He turned to her, shaking his head, amusingly. Turning back to Legion, and then Tali. He looked at her, waiting for her answer.

"It's a very long story, but Legion is helping rebuild the Geth. It'll take a long time, but they'll return." Tali said. Kal and Lana nodded and stepped inside the shuttle. Tia sat next to the door as it closed and they let the salarian shuttle drift free.

As Tali sat back down in the pilot's seat, she felt nauseous again. It quickly disappeared, but it was starting to worry her. Kal's voice broke her thoughts, "We've got plenty of time for long stories you know."

Tali sighed, turned around and smiled.  _At least I can put my mind off of John for a little while._ Sitting down, Kal and Lana held each other close as Tia hovered up the back and Legion just stood there. Then Tali began to explain. "Well, it started back on the Normandy..."

...

"WHOA! SLOW THE FUCK DOWN!" the soldier shouted as a single large truck came halting at the gate. The doors opened, and a tall, black alliance marine accompanied by a tall black haired woman in a white uniform approached them. The soldier put his hand up for them to halt.

"Identification please. This is a military field hospital and I need you're ID's to let you. Better hope you're military, that little stunt will cost ya if you're not." the soldier stated. He had heard about the Krogan who had crashed the shuttle out back and how Johnson had cowered out. Don't blame him, don't want to be the one on the receiving end of that Krogan's shotgun.

A irritated voice came from the truck, "You're talking to two ex-Cerberus operatives, a mercenary and a master thief. Just drop your fucking weapons and let us in. Were here for Shepard." A man in a orange mercenary uniform jumped down and headed for them. The soldier saw a distortional behind him, but dismissed it.

The merc approached him, and his words sunk in quickly. All his men raised their weapons to bear, and so did he. "Cerberus? Mercs? Thieves? Great, now we've got not only you three, but a quarian lover to deal with..." That pissed Miranda right off.

She lunged forward, knocked the weapon out of his hand and help him by the collar. The speed of which she did this frightened the marines behind him, but they raised their weapons none the less. Jacob lit up with biotics and Zaeed levelled his rifle. Not long after, Kasumi materialized behind them, two SMG's pointed at two marines, taking them by surprise.

"What did you say about quarians?" the soldier didn't speak. He was too scared. But he managed to slip his pistol from its holster and aim it at her head. "Tell you're people to stand down and get the hell out of here before I..."

"Do what? Pull that trigger and I'll smear the walls with you assholes!" Miranda and the soldiers turned, followed by Jacob and Zaeed. Kasumi stayed focused on the soldiers. A truck stopped next to theirs, and none other than Jack and Samara came out, Jack glowing with blue energy. With a flick of her wrist, the pistol was wrenched from his hand and thrown away.

Jack and Samara stopped next to them. "Come to join the party huh?" Jacob remarked, smiling.  _Just like on the Normandy._ Jack smiled, "Yeah, well who could resist the temptation of seeing Shepard all dirty and unable to shoot shit? It's something I've been itching to see. Has his quarian wife popped up yet? You know, Tali?" Jacob shook his head. Miranda laughed, "If she was here, these marines would either be dead, full of shotgun holes, lying unconscious or would have multiple injuries from trying to stop her. That woman is determined." It's something Miranda quite liked about her.

"That's true, at one point, I decided to play around with that airlock thing. I think I broke it, because the next thing I know, not only is she staring me down, I'm down on the ground with two holes in my toes, craddling Jesse and looking down the barrel of her Claymore as she says "Don't...touch...it...again...bosh'tet." She's a handful." Zaaed said aloud. Everyone looked at him amused.

"Serves you right." Miranda said, surpressing a laugh. The soldier shouted, "What? We've got two Cerberus operatives, a mercenary, a master thief, a crazy biotic, an Asari Justicar and now were expecting a crazy quarian? We've already had a krogan land a shuttle in our backdoor in his name, that was bad enough." Everyone shot the marine a stare, "A krogan? Looks like either Grunt and Wrex decided to join the party." Jack said.

"Marines, stand down. I'm giving them authorization." Everyone turned to see Ashley appear from inbetween the trucks. "Ash! Glad you could make it." Miranda said, loudly. Ashley smiled. Miranda looked back at the marine and gave him a "you lost" smile, before dropping him on his feet. "Open the gate!" he shouted as he gave Miranda a hateful look before straightening his uniform and picking up his pistol.

The gates opened, and Kasumi resaddled her SMG's. Everyone else put their weapons away, let biotics power down and walked inside as one. Once inside they heard the krogan nearby. To say he was unhappy would of completely understated what was happening before their very eyes.

The krogan was staring down a doctor so bad, they all swear they could smell a tinge of urine eminating from that exact spot. They all knew this krogan. "Wrex?" Miranda shouted as they approached. The krogan turned quickly and left the wimpering doctor, who, even though he had two marine bodyguards, had wet himself from a krogan staring him down.

"Well, its about time you guys arrived. These idiots were really starting to piss me off." Ash was next to step up, "What's going on?" Everyone asked the same thing.

"Their not letting anyone see him. They say he's not ready to see visitors. And then he insulted me! ME! URDNOT WREX! Biased little human wimps. No offense." Pretty much everyone except Samara had initially given Wrex a glare, but that cleared at his last words. "Whoa, looks like all amigos are here." They all turned to see James and Cortez walk in.

"James! Cortez! You got the message too?" Then another voice answered before James could speak, his mouth half open. "I did too, I came as fast as I could." Everyone was surprised when Javik walked in.

"The whole crew is here!" Jacob shouted, "Well, except Liara, Grunt, Garrus, Tali, Kal, Lana, Joker, Samantha, Kelly, EDI...Legion...Thane...Mordin..." Those last four names brought tears to everyone's eyes. "And Anderson." Ashley added. Silence popped over them all as a happy voice entered, "So, what did we miss?" They turned and saw Joker and Samantha enter. "I hope were not late" Samantha added.

"You guys too? Shit." Zaeed asked and grunted. The doctor from before raced over and started waving in the air to get their attention. "I've ex-Cerberus? Mercs? a krogan clan chief? the master thief herself? A...prothean, a pilot and a marine, a spectre, a crippled pilot, a tech specialist, a crazy biotic bitch, an asari justicar, and I'm also to expect a secretary primarch, the quarian lord of admirals, the ex-Shadow Broker, another krogan and 2 more quarians? That's...damn, I can't however let you in, any of you."

Wrex prepared to glare the doctor down when Joker spoke up. "When that 'quarian admiral' arrives, you won't be able to stop her. She is so love crazy that she'll destroy the whole planet just to get to him" the doctor looked at him as if he spoke blasphemy. "Shepard is a human." Joker nodded very slowly, as did everyone else.

"So?" Miranda asked. The doctor shot a look at her, "Sooooo how could a quarian love him and expect him to love her back? She's a guddamn quarian, it wouldn't work at all, plus their all scavengers and shit. He'd probably go for you though." That last bit was meant to be a compliment, but it had the opposite effect. Instead, Miranda grabbed him by the collar. "If you say those things about Tali again, you'll have us to deal with...and Shepard." Everyone nodded in agreement.

Miranda dropped him and then punched him in the jaw, causing him to fall. "That was for Tali." Miranda said. The doctor shot back up, craddling his jaw, running away like a little girl. She turned to the group, "So what now?" Ashley just shook her head, "Who's in command here then?" Miranda asked. It had during the days of the Collectors that she was XO, those days were long gone.

"Next in line would be Tali, but since she's not available, Garrus. Oh wait, he isn't either. I guess I'm in command then" Ashley stated. Wrex gave Ash a look, "Since when was Tali XO? I thought she was just Chief Engineer" he asked. "She still is, even Adams doesn't outrank her now, but she basically takes both positions now" Ashley replied.

At that moment, Ken, Gabby, Kelly and Adams appeared. The doctors behind them groaned. Ashley smiled, "Like a family reunion."  _Just waiting on the others._

...

"What's our ETA to Earth?" Liara asked. She had asked that quite too much and was getting ready to apologize for her impatience when the cool voice of the pilot responded, "7 minutes out, you can relax Miss T'Soni, we will get there in time." The pilot smiled, It was evident Liara had loved Shepard, but she seemed to have let it die down. Apparently some quarian refocused the man's attention.

She wasn't like most people these days. She loved all the different cultures of the galaxy, but none interested her more than the quarians. She was overjoyed when she heard the quarians regained Rannoch, but was saddened by the loss of the geth, that would've hit the quarians dead center.

Liara smiled. "Thank you Nisera, I appreciate you're patience with me. I'm just so happy he's alive."  _As would be a certain quarian friend I know._ Liara reentered the main cabin and sat down, reviewing the data from Thessia.  _At least were making progress, the majority of the rubble is gone and we can leave it up to the politicians to rebuild the Republic. Once the rest of the rubble is gone, we can rebuild._

She closed the datapad, letting out a big sigh as she laid back, thinking of the future.  _Jossa growing up. Me and Garrus getting together. John and Tali build a house on Rannoch, living together, Tali and John having child..._ She knew this was just wishful thinking, Tali could never give John any children, cross species breeding was alien to any race that wasn't Asari. Only the asari could succesfully pull it off.  _Me and Garrus can do it, but poor Tali. I know how important it is for quarian couples to produce offspring._

Liara then felt her omnitool hum with activity. She pressed a button, opening it and smiled as Garrus' face popped up. "Did you get the message to?" was the first question she asked. She knew it was stupid to ask, if anyone were to be informed of Shepard's activities, Tali, Garrus and herself would be the first to know.

Garrus chuckled, "Of course. I'm on my way to Earth. You?" Liara nodded. Garrus looked at the ground, "I bet you've got a few things you've got to tell him." Liara nodded in agreement, smiling as she went. "Well for starters, if Tali doesn't get there first, I'm going to tell him to prepare for no happy reunion. He really upset Tali, she's going to be pretty angry and happy with him." Garrus chucked. "I bet."

"Ma'am, two minutes out. Alliance wants to know our business here" Nisera stated. Liara smiled and responded, "Thank you Nisera, well you heard her Garrus, gotta go" she said.

"I'm almost there too, I'm 8 minutes out. Liara, I just want you to know something." Liara lost her smile. This was it. She waited for his answer.

...

"So Legion, how far out are we from Earth?" Tali had asked that almost every 15 seconds, and if it hadn't been for Legion assuming the piloting position, she would of once again overstressed the thrusters.

"Tali'Shepard, we are 5 minutes out. Repeated asking of the question will not get us there any faster." Tali nodded, and Kal and Lana just laughed. Tia isolated herself in the corner. Tali was lying in a fetal position on the floor. She wasn't crying, no, she was a  _very_ happy lifemate. She just preferred sitting like that. For reasons she didn't understand herself.

"Don't worry Tali, he isn't going anywhere, you can stop worrying so much" Lana reassured her. Tali smiled behind her mask, even though Lana couldn't see it. Instead, she raised her head and nodded it eratically, announcing her understanding. Lana put a reassuring hand on Tali's right shoulder, trying to reassure her further.

The shuttle was filled with silence for a few seconds, before Legion's voice broke the silence. "Creators, we have an unidentified shuttle approaching." Tali frowned and exited her fetal position, heading towards the cockpit. "Hail them" Tali said as she went.

Legion's fingers danced onn the controls. "No..." the shuttle then shook violently. Tia was thrown from her seat, Lana lost her balance, falling into Kal's open arms as they both tumbled onto the ground. Tali tried to control her fall but was shocked when her visor came into contact with the hard floor.

All she heard was a crack and even more painful nauseous feeling in her stomach before the black void consumed her vision.

...

"Sir, we've got a shuttle approaching Earth. It's Quarian" the helmsman of the Blue Suns frigate, MSV Xytos stated. Captain Lee smiled.  _Finally, the fools have fallen right into our trap. Now to clasp it shut._ "Communications, contact the shuttle, Tell them to disable the shuttle, but not to kill anyone." He watched as the shuttle departed the ship and approached the quarian shuttle.

He took a sip of his coffee as the shuttle continued to move in.

...

"Sir, shuttle in range. Weapons trained and ready" the pilot reported. The sergeant reported, he turned to his mercs. "Arm you're weapons" he turned back to the pilot, "remember, engines only. We'll board the shuttle, and take all the crew prisoner." Turning back to his mercs, he armed his own Mattock Heavy Rifle, loading a fresh thermal clip.

He smiled, as their shuttle approached the unsuspecting quarians, "fire." He said coldly. 2 shots emanated from their shuttle, striking the shuttle's engines. The quarian shuttle deflected the shots easily. Shields. "Damn it, Quarian Combat Shuttle. Fire again, take down the shields then kill those thrusters."

The pilot nodded, and the captured Trident fired off another 6 shots, finally downing the shields. With the shields gone, they fired the last two shots, destroying the shuttle's engines. The sergeant smiled, he patted the pilot's shoulder, "Nice work. Now bring us alongside that shuttle, prepare to board it." He moved to approach the door as his pilot shouted at him, in a concerned voice, "There's another shuttle approaching."

"Well take it out..." he barely got the words out as the pilot screamed over him "INCOMING...!" In space, all that could be seen was the explosion of the shuttle as it broke apart, debris flying in all directions. The unknown ally flew by, heading straight for the quarian shuttle.

...

"Sir, we just lost all telemetry from the shuttle, it's gone. Something destroyed it." The helmsman reported. Captain Lee rolled his eyes as he yelled at the helmsman, "Of course it's destroyed you moron! Now bring us about to port, heading 1-8-2, gunner, load the gatlings, bring them to bear on that shuttle. Destroy it, but DO NOT hit that disabled shuttle."

"Aye sir" he responded. The Captain shook his head as he took his cup of coffee and took another sip, "Whoever this guy is, I'm going to rip him a new A hole."

...

"She's knocked out cold, damn it! Her visor's cracked!" Kal said as he turned Tali over. 2 cracks covered her mask, and inside he could see the beauty locked inside. Respecting Tali's privacy, he let Lana tend to her.

The shots had long stopped and had been followed by a loud explosion, and finally nothing. Whatever what was attacking, had stopped or retreated. The explosion was unusual though. "Damn it, we need to do something, she can't stay like this. Wait, these shuttles come equipped with sterile medical bays don't they?" Lana asked Tia.

"Yes, we could move her in there, but you'll need two sets of hands to carry her. I'll help. Kal, you stay right there." Lana takes Tali's arms as Tia takes her legs and gently, they lead her onto a bed in the sterile room. Two seconds later, they came out, sealing the door behind them, the indicator glowing blue to indicate a sterile room.

"Now, our attackers." Kal began but was interrupted by Legion, "Creator Kal'Reegar, an unidentified shuttle is hailing us. They...destroyed our attackers." Lana and Kal exchanged glances, Tia just shrugged her shoulders. "Answer them. Let's see who saved our asses." Legion awknowledged him before opening the channel.

A turian's face appeared on screen, one Kal and Lana easily recognized, "Garrus! Nice of you to make it." Garrus chuckled, "Looks you picked a fight with some mercs, don't worry, luckily I'm here. Too bad Liara's already in atmosphere."

"We didn't. They attacked us out of the blue. Tali's here but..." Kal stopped. Garrus grew concerned, "What happened. Talk to me. Tell me she's okay, otherwise Shepard will have my head for not arriving sooner." Kal shook his head, "the first shot rocked the ship, everyone except Tali were lucky, she hit a wall with her visor, and was knocked out cold. Her visor's cracked but repairable, but she's in a sterile room."

"That is no longer an option, Creators. This shuttles engines are gone and a core system overload is imminent. We need to evacuate." Legion stated. Garrus gave them an even more serious look, "Yes, exactly, so...wait, WHAT!? That can't be...I must be dreaming." Kal laughed, "You ain't. It's Legion." Legion moved in front of the screen.

Garrus wasn't just shocked, he was sure he was insane. Yet, Legion was looking right at him. "But how?" Garrus asked. Legion replied bluntly, "Time is needed to discuss this. We do not have that time." Garrus shook out of his bemusement and looked at Legion, "Yes, of course, I'm coming about now. You'll have to get on quickly, I'm picking up the mothership."

Kal looked at him awkwardly, "Mothership?" He didn't like the sound of that. "It's a human term Shepard taught me. Let's just say the shuttle that attacked you is owned by a ship, and that ship is headed our way."

Kal nodded very quickly, and was not only concerned for Tali, who was basically a sister to him as they grew up together, but for Lana, his lifemate. He took her hands in his, "Lana, get onto the shuttle. I've got a little surprise waiting for those mercs." Lana looked concerned. She wasn't letting go. "I'll be fine,  _inszel,_ I need to know that you're safe. Get onboard, I'll be right behind you." Lana hesitated then nodded, tapped her visor on his, and then followed Tia to the sterile room.

The shuttle shook as the doors opened and Garrus walked in. "Where's Tali?" he immediately asked. Tia and Lana came back holding Tali, but within a single sweep, Garrus had Tali in his arms, carrying her into the shuttle. An act of affection among his people, but most likely different for Garrus. Tia and Lana followed him inside, Lana giving him a quick glance before hopping inside.

Turning to Legion he said clearly, "Let's leave these mercs a little trap of our own Legion..."

...

Captain Lee watched as the unidentified shuttle, now known to be turian in design, detached from the quarian shuttle, headed away, towards the planet. His ship could easily hit that shuttle, so he ordered the ship to pick up the disabled shuttle. Their secret rescuers must have abandoned them.

"Move and..." all of a sudden, a quarian voice popped up on loud speakers, "THE ANCESTORS LEFT YOU THIS  _TILGRAPS_!" within those few seconds, the quarian shuttle exploded in a ray of blue light, debris shooting in all directions. It had been a diversion.

"HARD TO STARBOARD! PURSUE THAT SHUTTLE!" Lee shouted. If that shuttle escaped, Vido would commit tortures on him of unthinkable nature. "Aye, Aye sir. Hard to starboard" the helmsman reported. The ship rotated slowly and then began speeding towards the turian shuttle. "You won't escape that easy" Lee mumbled, "Acquire a firing solution, then unleash hell on that shuttle. Disable it. Everyone on that shuttle better be alive or Vido will have us all on pikes."

The gunner's hands moved across the console, pressing the respectable buttons. "Ready" he called. "Fire..." his voice was drowned out by the helmsman yelling, "WE NEED TO BREAK OFF! ALLIANCE FRIGATE!" Lee spat out his sip of his coffee as he looked at the turian shuttle. What was the turian shuttle's location, was now encompassed by a Alliance Frigate. The words "Turanga" implanted on it's starboard side.

He knew he was no match for that frigate and its captain. The turian shuttle had clearly landed on the frigate, as its hangar bay doors closed. He watched as the Mass Accelerator Main Gun began charging on the frigate. " HARD TO FUCKING PORT! GET US OUT OF HERE, FULL SPEE..." His orders came too late. The Xytos would and could not react in time. The ship sloppily moved to the port side, but by that time, the MAC had already fired, and had cut right through the ship's shields, and penetrated deep into the vessel.

The round ripped through the Xyto's bridge, and came out the other side, explosions piercing the ship's exterior and interior. Chunks of light armor plating either melted away or flew in all directions. The interior glowed with a furious red light.

The ship then gave a final death grown, and exploded from the inside, ripping the ship in half, piecies of debris intermixing with that of the Reaper, the Shield and Sword fleets that had fought to retake Earth. The Captain of the Turanga, Captain Andrew Incas, smiled. He keyed the intercom, "We have a medical situation in the hangar bay. Any medical teams with knowledge of quarian physiology, report to the hangar bay immediately."

...

The Shuttle slowly decended into the atmosphere, right towards Bunstan Hospital. Tali, Kal, Lana, Tia and Garrus sat on the seats of the shuttle as it decended. Legion stood in front of them. Tali had taken a total for 2 hours to recover, and she still had a nasal congestion, but that would hopefully die out soon. Tia had been offered a ride back to Rannoch, but she decided that she'd come this far and shouldn't head back now.

Tali almost jumped up as the pilot announced, "Prepare for landing, ETA 4 seconds, 3...2...1. Landing." Tali this time did jump up, and even when the shuttle shifted in its landing, she didn't fault in her balance. She approached the door and was there in a second. As soon as it opened, she rushed outside and headed towards the doors.

"Someone's in a rush" Garrus said with a chuckle. He could see Liara's shuttle parked nearby, the pilot he guessed, standing outside, waving at them as they passed. Tali was already inside when they finally reached the doors.

When the doors opened, Kal almost wanted to run back. The whole crew was there. Literally. Everyone. Wrex, Liara, Miranda, Jacob, Joker, Samantha, Grunt, Jack, Samara, Zaeed, Kasumi...everyone. All just to see Shepard. A truly loyal group of friends.

The talking was very loud but stopped as everyone just stared at them as if they were aliens, not making a sound. He didn't understand what the problem was until Kelly's voice answered his unspoken question.

"A GETH!? LEGION!?"

...

Liara waited for the commotion to die down, but as it clearly wasn't, she finally spoke up as loud as she could, "SILENCE!" Everyone shut up and looked at Liara as if she'd run into a church and interrupted a religious ceremony. "Okay, now Legion can answer you're question." Everyone looked at Legion expectingly. The only thing different about Legion was the new platform, it was the same with the N7 shoulder still attached, but the hole repaired and no longer visible.

Legion moved it's flaps before explaining. Everyone listened closely. When it finished, everyone gasped in awe. "I'm glad my baby saved a life as she lost hers" it had been Joker's voice that answered first. Everyone looked at Joker sympathetically before looking back at Ashley, who had Tali yelling at her. And she was one  _very_ angry quarian.

...

"THEY WHAT!?" Tali yelled so loud, that everyone looked from Joker to herself and Ash. Ash looked at the ground and then back at Tali's eyes, "Noone Tali. They were quite vague on why, but they said noone, not even you, can see him."

Tali was infuriated. She had come all this way, ignored Veetor and Elan's needs, almost overloaded their shuttle's thrusters, almost got killed by mercs, and finally, to top it all off, almost died of infection. She'd gone through all that just to be refused from seeing his face. To know that he is okay? Unacceptable.

"You tell those bosh'tets to let me through or I'll force my way through" Tali declared. Ashley always loved Tali's confidence and bravery, and this was no different. But she had to calm her down, "I'm sorry, but..."

"So the answer is no?" Tali asked more calmly. Finally, she's calming down. "Yes." What happened next took her off guard. Tali thrusted past her, even her attempts at stopping her were met with force. Tali shook her off and ran up the stairs. She could hear Garrus say as she ran up, "Uh-oh." Kal was laughing, "Never underestimate a lifemate with a need."

She began laughing as well, as did everyone. The marines uptop were so sure they could hold that quarian force of nature.  _I almost feel sorry for them. Glad I'm not them._ They watched the marines moved to intercept, guns crossed in front of Tali.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but you're not..." Tali grabbed the gun and wrenched it from his hand throwing it down the stairway and executed a uppercut to his jaw. He staggered back into a wall. The other soldier grabbed her from behind, pinning her arms. But it would take more than that to stop her.

Next, Tali kicked the soldier's left knee, causing him to growl in pain. With his grip loosened, she broke free and executed a foot sweep, knocking the soldier over and then pinning his head to the ground with her boot. She said clearly, with as much venom as possible, the snarl in her voice evident. "I'm here to see my lifemate. You can try and stop me, but it'll be you're funeral. Plus, I have a shotgun." She could hear Garrus' laugh.

She growled and then released him, knocking him out with the butt of her unholstered pistol. She turned and walked down the corridor and found a door with explicit words saying 'Surgery Ward. VIP. Do not disturb.' Tali smiled, "Well in that case..." and she moved forward, pushing the door open.

...

Shepard chewed on the tasteless food. He looked at it with such a sheer disgust, that he couldn't take it anymore and just placed it on the desk to his left. He chewed and swallowed the disgusting concoction. He'd prefer the nutrient paste that Tali ate to the crap the hospital served.

He loved the thought of Tali, a matter of fact, he wished he had a picture of her sitting next to him, so he could gaze on her beautiful face. He sighed. She was all the way on Rannoch, helping with the reconstruction. He missed her so much, he just wanted to hear her voice, let it bathe him in the peace it always brought him, but he had even been deprived of that.

He thought he could hear laughter outside, but it must have been his imagination. He sighed and gazed at the ceiling, thinking of what he'd tell Tali when he met her again.  _Hey Tali it's me, John. You want to build that house._ No damn it, I can't act as if nothing happened. But how would I break to her.

 _I feel so useless. I've never felt like this. Damn the effect women can have on men._ He laughed. He missed the whole gang. Garrus' sarcasm, Liara's kind comments, Tali's comfort, Joker's...well, jokes, Wrex's jokes. He missed them all. And he was stuck in this stupid bed, unable to do anything.

He was about to take a another reluctant bite of that horrible substance when the sound of the door opening interrupted him. He watched as a gloved three fingered hand slid in and opened it further, very slowly.  _I wasn't aware of any quarian doctors._

The door finally stopped and a female quarian stepped in, her eyes looking straight into his. His heart stopped for a second, he knew her. Of course he did. Her beautifully slim feminine body stood in front of him, her small gloved hands hanging at her sides. The purple  _realk_ of a quarian engineer hung from her suit, the swirls of Clan Zorah used repeatedly across it. Her purple visor showed signs of being originally cracked, and her kind, gentle blue eyes gazed into his. Yes, of course he knew this quarian.

"Tali...It's you..." He got out. Tali nodded and slowly approached him. "John..." Shepard was so happy, that any previous feeling of sorrow he had was washed away. He wanted to reach out and wrab his arms around her, but he was so stiff, any movement brought intense pain.

Before he could react, Tali reached out and punched him in the chest. This not only knocked all the wind out of him, but a massive burning sensation swirled up in his chest. He growled in pain, "What was that for!?" He growled through clenched teeth. She moved back, bringing her hand to her side. She answered cooly, her speech indicator glowing with every word, "That was for scaring me. I thought I'd lost you."

John understood, and felt ashamed. He had must have really scared her. "Tali, I'm so sorry..." Before he could say anything, Tali reached up and he heard the unmistakable sounds of mask clasps releasing.

The next completely destroyed any safeguards he originally had. She placed on her mask on his desk and he got a split second glance of her beautiful facial features before she locked her lips around his, locking each other in a passionate kiss.

Breaking only for air, John smiled as he placed his left hand on her cheek, caressing it. She smiled back. "And that?" He asked. She giggled, reaching up her right hand to hold onto his hand, holding it to her cheek, encouraging him to keep caressing it.

"For coming back to me."

 **Inszel:** Term of status or standing within a social circle. Literal translation: Most trusted confidant and partner. Used to describe the personal relationship of an individual. Implies a deep personal connection. Humans would say girlfriend or boyfriend but these only touch the surface of what it truly means.

 **Tilgrap:** Large herbivore, native to Rannoch. Tilgrap, alpha female of the pack. Tilgra refers to the other members of the pack, both male and female. Moving in packs, the tilgrap uses snarling, huffing and shear mass to force the pack to move where she decided to lead them.

 **Realk:** Cloth covering used by the quarians. It is used to describe not just the hood seen on most but any material adornment.

 **Bosh'tet:** Thought by many non-quarians to be the quarian equivalent of "son of a bitch" or "bastard." Surprisingly, it is actually the name of a animal native to Rannoch, similiar to Earth rats. It is a rodent to lives my scavenging, but has a very low intelligence, is quite irritating and lazy. It eats the excrement of other animals, using what's let of it as a home and the undigested bits as sustenance. It will eat any dung, even its own. It will defend its dung pile at any cost, even its own kind, and has been known to fight to the death. Quarians used it as a curse word for people who are being stupid, unresponsive, irritating or fighting for a worthless cause or reason.

**I really suck at making scenes like the one I attempted with Garrus and Liara. If you must know, it was meant to be Garrus admitting his love for her. I suck at making scenes like that, so I decided not too.**

**And finally John and Tali are reunited! Everyone is back together! Yes, including Grunt. I might have forgotten that little detail. So, all those bosh'tets out there who are loving this fanfic (no offense intended), don't forget to review, favourite and follow.**

**Oh, and a few more things. If you wish to follow me on Facebook, my name is:**

**Josiah Lee:** **. ?id=100001865083205 &ref=ts&fref=ts**

**To follow me on YouTube, my channel is:**

**Omega4Productions: Time to get pumped, not just for Halo 4, but for my new machinima, Earth Schism. Based in the year 2042 in a world bathed in technological luxury, a virus based on a variant of cancer is destroying the world's population. Called together to stop it from spreading, Cerberus and the Ministry of Scientific Advances work towards a cure, but what is Cerberus hiding? Why have UFO sightings become more frequent? And what kind of cure is Cerberus REALLY making? Be prepared for rogue security forces, unbelievably powerful alien invaders, and to sum it up, a giant zombie apocalypse. Get ready, for the Earth Schism, for only Seal Team Delta stands a chance...**

**user/Omega4Productions?feature=CAQQwRs**

**My email is SterileQuarian (I have two other backup emails if this one doesn't work).**

**My gamertag on Xbox Live is ArchReaperN7. I play Mass Effect 3 and Halo Reach quite often, so if you wish to play either, just send me a friend request or game invite, and we'll play. I also have all the Halos, all the mass effect games, Battlefield 3, Rainbow Six Vegas 2, Crysis 2, Kinect Adventures (which I never play because Kinect is a piece of shit).**

**For anything else, do message me through said email or comment in review section.**

**(WARNING EA FANS: THIS MIGHT OFFEND YOU, PROCEED AT OWN DISCRETION)**

**GOODDAY and I leave you with a mass effect quote...just a tiny little bit tampered with...**

**"Ah yes "EA", the company of money loving asswipes who like to rip off their customers with ridiculous amounts of pointless passes, annoying account requiring bullshit and have been ripping people off for ages allegedly waiting in Redwood City, California. Hah, we have dismissed this claim."**

**From the idiots who try to delude themselves into the fantasy that EA don't completely rip off what fans they have left and that ME2's Cerberus Network was a failure because of it (1200 MS just to ACCESS THE FUCKING DLC!?)**

**Bioware: How about we make competitive ME3 multiplayer...**

**EA: That requires passes...**

**Bioware: No, actually we were thinking...**

**EA: ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL...**

**And then they delivered ME3.**

**I'd go into a fit on how terrible they treated Tali (when I saw that stockphoto and the romance scene, oh boy, I was raging for a full night) but I won't waste you're time. Maybe next time. But there will BE NO REFERENCES to that piece of shit stockphoto that ruined my sense of love for Tali. I still do, and I will romance her continiously, but that photo makes me gag. I'm sorry, but its true.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed this fanfic, and Chapter 7 will hopefully be out soon. :D**


	8. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shepard is reunited with Tali. The crew enjoy their time together. An unlikely alliance between weakened enemies is forged.

_**Revelations** _

Shepard eyes opened very slowly. The fierce light eminating from the ceiling made his sight painfully fuzzy. He shook his head until it cleared. When he had finished, he felt something stirring on his chest. Looking, he saw Tali's hand. He turned to see Tali's head resting on his chest. He smiled and began stroking the back of her head.

He let her sleep, just letting his hand stroke the back of her hood. He just lay there for 5 minutes, watching her sleep. She didn't realize it herself, but she looked cute when she snored. He eventually decided he needed to wake her up. Taking her hand, he brought it up to his lips and kissed it.

This made Tali release a soft moan, waking her up. "I still love the ways you wake me up" she said as she looked up and smiled. She went for her mask, but found it not there. She looked back to see her mask moving back into place and sealing. "Thanks" she tapped her visor with his forehead.

"Good morning beautiful." Shepard said, smiling. Tali smiled too, letting her body convey the emotions she had. She sat up, letting go of him for a second to stretch her arms and then returning to his side. "How did you sleep?" she asked, and Shepard nodded, "Couldn't be anything bad with you at my side", Tali looked up and saw his blue eyes looking deep into hers, they told one thing: love.

"How about you? You really shouldn't have come Tali, you've got you're people to worry abou..." Tali moved her finger up to his lips, causing him to stop. "Stop, just stop. You're my lifemate, when you need me, I'll always drop everything to help you. I wasn't going to let you do this alone" she put as much love into her voice as she could.

Shepard smiled, "I know, and I'd do the same for you. But, wait, how did you even know?" Shepard was confused, he wasn't aware anyone knew he was alive except for his mother and Hackett. Tali hesitated, "Omnitool. Same with everyone else. We all got the message." Shepard snapped his look towards her.

"Everyone else? How many people came exactly?" he asked. He felt like he was dragging everyone away from their jobs. "Everyone John. Garrus, Liara, Joker, the whole Normandy Crew. And, we've got a surprise for you." John looked at her with a look of concern.  _Surprise?_

Seeing his look, she motioned her omnitool and sent the message for Legion to enter. "He's coming." John shook his head. All this for him, he felt like he was useless, as he should be fullfilling his promise to Tali and helping rebuild his world.

"John, I...We...came here because were you're friends, you're crew is loyal to you, to not come was to basically ignore you. You know I could never do that, and neither would anyone else on you're crew. You're my lifemate, my soul, and our Captain."

He smiled and kissed her visor. Moving back into his bed, he heard the door open. Shepard looked up and froze to the spot, his eyes opening up. Tali had to stiffle a laugh, his look of surprise looked like a  _Malkar._ Standing in front of him and looking straight at him, was a geth. That surprised him, but not as much as what this geth was. It's Legion.

"John'Shepard, I have come to inform you of this platform's survival." It then explained everything. Realization hit John. He smiled, "Does that mean the geth and EDI are still alive!?" He was so happy that he hadn't betrayed them. That they did survive afterall.

"No, the geth are being rebuilt however. But EDI is permanently nonfunctional, we are sorry John'Shepard." John looked down at the bed. "I did it." Tali and Legion looked straight him. Tali was the first to ask, "Did what?" John sighed and looked up at her. Her hand lay on his, urging him to continue, while letting him know she was there and he could tell her anything.

"I killed them all. The geth...EDI...this is all my fault. The Catalyst told me..." Legion and Tali looked at each other and then Tali was first to ask once again, "You've lost us John, who is the Catalyst?"

"You mean who  _was._ He was the artificial intelligence who commanded the Reapers. Even Harbinger answered to him. He told me about the cycle and why the Reapers do it, saying that its to stop the envitable rise of Synthetic intelligence. He gave me three choices. And I'm telling you, it was a difficult choice." Tali and Legion were listening intently. Legion was hard to read, but he looked sad.

Tali squeezed his hand, "And then what?" He looked up into her gentle eyes and continued. "I could control the Reapers, which would result...in my death" this caused Tali's hand to squeeze his even tighter, but he continued in a softer tone, "of my corporeal form, but I would become part of the Reapers. Essentially, the Reapers would have been mine to command as I wished and I would become one of them, but I would never see you again."

Tali smiled, she knew she shouldn't, but it greatly calmed her to know she was in his thoughts as he made his choices. "Then, I had the chance to Synthesize all life. I could give all synthetics the intelligence of organics, and organics would become superior to the Reapers. However, this went against everything I fought for. And once again, I'd die."

"Finally, I could destroy the Reapers. However, at the sacrifice of EDI, the Geth and the Citadel...It's obvious which one I chose." Tears streamed down John's face, and Tali quickly reacted, encompassing him in her embrace. He spat out as he cried, "It's my fault Tali. I killed them all. I'm a monster. I should be dead, I don't deserve to be alive."

Tali moved up to his ear and whispered softy, "No its not. You did nothing wrong. The Geth are being rebuilt. EDI would have understood, and even Legion agrees. It's okay." Shepard closed his eyes and just let Tali's embrace consume him.

"John, look at me, look at you're lifemate." John looked up very slowly and into Tali's awaiting eyes. "You did nothing wrong..." then she whispered in his ear once again, "...my  _Saera._ "

John smiled, and put it on Tali's cheek. "I just don't know..." Tali then moved her visor until it touched John's forehead, and they just gazed into each other's eyes. They stayed like this until Legion spoke up.

"John'Shepard has done nothing wrong. You did what you thought was right. The Geth will show no prejudice at you're decision. EDI would have done the same thing if in you're position." Tali smiled, "Now John, will you listen to me when I say you've done nothing wrong?"

John slowly nodded, "Yes I do Tali, yes I do. It'll still haunt me, but with you close, I can let it slide." They were interrupted by laughing as someone walked in. The voice told all.

"Is this a bad time?" Garrus asked.

...

"What the fuck do you mean the Xytos is not reporting in? Have they gone rogue? Or did they fuck up?" Vido yelled. The merc was shaking all over. He didn't want to end up like the other morons who had failed.

"They 'fucked up' sir, they sent out a distress call just as their IFF stopped transmitting." Vido slammed his fist on the table, "IT WAS A FUCKING QUARIAN SHUTTLE! HOW COULD THAT THING GET THE BETTER OF A FRIGATE!?" The merc was glued to the spot now.

"The Quarians had back up. A turian shuttle managed to evacuate them and by the time Captain Lee engaged it, they were destroyed by the SSV Turanga, an alliance frigate." Vido seemed to calm down. "Lee was a cocky bastard all along, knew it was a mistake giving him that ship. Send the Austro, and this time, she better come back with that suit rat."

Right away Mr. Santiago. The merc then rushed out. Blood idiots.  _Once I have that suit rat firmly in my grasp, I'll have a trap to lure Shepard into. And Zaeed, hopefully._ He smiled another ugly smile. Shepard can't leave his little pet.

He keyed the intercom, "Having fun with that device?" Vido had no scientists, so Sulak was as close as he could get to a tech. "It's a pain to work out, but I should have it running soon. Although some of my people are acting very weird. Do you think its affecting them?"

Vido shook his head, "It's not operational yet, couldn't be. No harm in making sure though. Limit you're exposure." He then disconnected the comm.  _Very soon Mrs. Shepard, you'll be all mine to use as I see fit._

Just like all those suit rats should be.

...

"So she just took a shuttle and left?" Raan asked. To say Malra was angry was an understatement. She had heard of the earful Gerrel received, she felt sorry for him. Now, they had called a board meeting to discuss Tali's unusual actions. It was obvious after Malra's explanation, that Shepard was alive.

She understood Tali's position, but abandoning her post was agaisnt regulations. There would have to be consequences. Malra nodded, "she shut it and flew off. I understand that she wanted to see her lifemate, but she has to understand that she is an Admiral, and she's expected to act like it. She even took Legion with her!"

"Look, Tali is practically my daughter. I will deal with her. She will punished severely for this, but it looks like simply removing her from the Admiralty would be something she'd want." They all went into silence, as each person was deep in thought. Eventually, Zaal spoke up. "Why not strip her of her rank, and then seperate her from Shepard for a month?" Everyone looked at Zaal. Raan laughed, "And would Disba allow herself to be seperated from you without a fight Zaal?"

Zaal shook his head. "Tali's no different. How about we strip her of her rank and then leave it at that" Raan said. "What? But you said yourself..." Kar began but was stopped by Raan, "Don't tell me what I said, I know what I said Kar, I'm not that old, its just Tali doesn't deserve to be punished for something as natural as that. Now, all we need now is someone to replace her."

They all heard the annoying yet intimidating voice they all hated boom into the room. "I will."

It was Daro'Xen.

...

"Will she ever be done in there?" Wrex asked, agitatedly. Liara gave him a scowl, "Quarians are very different to Krogan, Wrex. They hate being seperated from their lifemates. Seperating them is like trying to remove a toilet with you're bare hands. It can't be done."

Wrex laughed, "With krogan, ripping a toilet out of the ground is easy. Still, she could at least invite us in. Damn it, I should have gone with Garrus." Liara smiled, "If you had, you probably would have been kicked out. Knowing John, he wants Tali here and nothing else. Although I'm sure he appreciates our company." She had noticed the look Wrex passed her, and had ended her sentense respectively.

"Yeah well shit. If I knew a quarian could make a cold-blooded, no bullshit, hardass hero of the galaxy soften up, I'd have dated one long ago" Said Jack, as she approached them. Liara laughed, "Is that how you see the Captain?" she asked. Jack smiled, "Yeah, I do. The guy was made of stone and bricks, now he's a walking grinning idiot, I'm surprised he and Joker haven't made a club out of it."

"Excuse me, the food is being served. If you'd like to take a seat" said one of the doctors. Wrex was already sitting down when Liara and Jack approached. As they sat down, they heard two people approaching, and turned to see Tali and Legion.

"Wow, Garrus actually got you two lovebirds to seperate?" Jacob asked, his mouth full of the digusting hospital food. He immediately spat it out with a look of digust, which warranted the cooks to give him death stares. Tali glared at him, "I was reluctant, yes. But I knew Garrus wanted to speak to him alone, so I left. I will join him when I get a chance. As for Legion, he follows me around like a bodyguard. It's quite annoying."

"Tali'Shepard, if my presence is causing irritation or embarassment, I shall go into standby mode or leave" Legion asked. Everyone looked at Legion as if he just swore. "Did you just say 'I' instead of 'we.'?" Miranda asked, that had taken her completely by surprise. Ashley was still eating, as was Grunt.

"Yes Lawson-XO, I have now achieved sentience and I no longer am part of a larger consensus. I am...free. It's an interesting new take on things." Tali was already sitting down next to Javik, who gave her a wide birth even receiving a death stare from the quarian, as she inserted a tube of nutrient paste into her suit. James mumbled something like "lucky bastard", referencing to her tube of paste and his disgusting food.

Tali was about to ask Joker if he could pass some of the food to see why everyone hated it, when she once again felt nauseous. She patted her stomach, as she felt a sick feeling in her throat.  _Oh no._

She motioned for her mask, but was too late. The sound of a grumble then the sound of liquid came from Tali. Everyone turned to see her holding her visor. Though almost completely covered, they could see the distinct outlines of a sicky yellow substance inside her visor, covering its interior. It all became clear.

"Tali, did you just throw up?" James asked. Tali looked at him, then at Javik, who was staying far away from her. She looked back at her discarded tube of paste before exclaiming.

"Keelah."

...

"Damn Tali, are you okay now?" Garrus asked. He'd just finished talking to Shepard when people were saying that Tali was sick. Tali was sitting at one of the benches with her glass of water, sipping it through her emergency induction port. She turned to Garrus, who sat next to her.

"Yes. Apparently I wasn't even sick. They don't know what happened. It nothing to do with taking my mask before, I knew that room was sterile." Garrus nodded, looking at the half eaten food in front of him. Everyone had gone outside to play a game of soccer, which seemed to be some human sport.

"So if not sick, then what was it?" Garrus asked, now even more intrigued by this turn of events. What could cause her to vomit that wasn't sickness? Tali turned to look at him and shrugged her shoulders, "I honestly don't know Garrus, I definitely didn't imagine it, so it had to have been caused by something." There it was again. Her stomach felt like it had expanded, and now she felt she was going to puke again.

"Well I can hope is that Shepard isn't unlucky enough to have you kissing him when you decide to throw up again. Quarian vomit apparently is more disgusting than human vomit, and that's saying something." He said, trying to cheer her up. She was down about something.

"Bosh'tet." She said, laughing with him. Garrus patted her on the back, "I'm going to check out that soccer game, you coming?" He said as he stood up. He really wanted to try out this human game. Tali shook her head, "When I'm done here, I'm rejoining John. Probably getting lonely right about now." She said as she took another sip of water.

Garrus chuckled, "And waiting for a special quarian." He then ran outside, Tali watching him go. Once the doors closed, she turned back to her drink and finished it up in one gulp before reinserting her induction port and leaving.

 _That's a straw Tali. Emergency...Induction...Port. It's actually getting harder to get into the slot._ She smiled as the memories of that night came up. She'd only ever been intoxicated once, and that had been John's fault. She continued to climb the stairs and navigated the corridor until she was back at John's door.

She moved inside just as that nauseous feeling returned. She had stopped for a second, feeling her stomach, but then went back to entering the room. She saw John silently sleeping.  _Maybe she could come back._ She was about to leave but then saw him stir. She decided she needed the rest, and John could provide her that rest.

She sat down next to his bed, then rested her head on his chest. He snorted. He sounded so silly when he did that. She closed her eyes and felt John's hand land on the back of her hood. She smiled as he stroked the back of her hood and she slowly fell asleep.

This time however, the nightmares of John's deaths didn't play over and over in her head, no, this time she had only one dream. It involved her standing on Rannoch, without her blasted suit, wearing a  _halmut_ , as both herself and John sat outside their completed house, keeping each other close.

They watched as the sun disappeared behind the hills and a group of her children ran around...she finished that thought with sadness. She knew she could never have a child with John, so why did she let it cloud her better judgment? She shoke it away from her thoughts but could not hold the tears it brought.

No, they would have children, but not from her womb.

...

"Sir, I suggest we use the moon as cover from the Alliance patrols. I'm sure they would have increased due to the Xyto's failure. Then we can activate that stealth drive" the navigator of the Blue Suns Corsair MSV Ontarom,, reported. It wasn't an actual corsair, just a converted freighter with a stolen stealth drive taken from a destroyed Cerberus vessel's wreckage.

Captain Titus eyed his navigator, "I do not like to take suggestions from the crew  _I_ command, but you are correct, it would offer us a good hiding spot. Helmsman, take us in. And if any other shuttles appear, wait until their out of range of any help before attacking, I will not fail Vido like that idiot, Lee did."

It was obvious that the Ontarom would have to be more careful, as it didn't have the armamnet the Xytos did, and the Turanga destroyed it easily, so the Ontarom would have to take better care. Of course, they had the stealth system, but that would only help them with ships without windows. Still, Lee was too cocky and was moronic to send his ship out into the open, that was ultimately what got him and his team killed.

"Affirmative, moving into position. Moving at half military speed" the helmsman reported. They were in no hurry, well, not until the communications officer reported, "Sir, were picking up increased activity with a nearby Alliance battlegroup. 2 Corvettes, the SSV Berlin and SSV Volgograd, are extremely close sir. And their known for having...well...windows." Titus swore to himself.

Corvettes were weaker than frigates, but had a better armament than Corsairs, with a speed faster than a frigate, but was nothing compared to the Ontarom. A one advantage they had, useless against 2 Corvettes. Alliance Military Corvettes, ships made for war against a coverted freighter meant for merchant shipping. It was nowhere close to being a fair fight.

"Okay, tell Engineer Stewart to increase to full military speed. Make all speed to that moon, I don't want to be caught by those corvettes." Titus sighed, and just looked blankly at the screen as the ship sped towards Luna, quickly leaving Earth behind.

"Wait sir, were getting a external transmission. It's coming from...location unknown" the communications officer reported. Titus looked at him and evaluated him for a second before turning to his comm unit, "Let's hear it Malco, Bridge Comms." Malco nodded, pressing the assigned button.

A weary but intimidating voice came up on loud speakers, "Crew of the MSV Ontarom, I have a proposition for you're leader, Vido Santiago, you don't want to let this pass up" Titus shifted in his seat alittle. "I am Captain Liam Titus of the Blue Suns Corsair MSV Ontarom, Who are you and what's your proposition?" who said formally. Most Blue Suns weren't formal, but he was ex-Alliance, so it was in his blood.

"My name is Hawk. My real name is of no importance to you or you're leader, so I shall not mention it. I am part of a human organization you might know of. Ever heard of Cerberus?" Titus shifted once again. Cerberus, everyone knew about Cerberus. All aliens did anyway. "Yes, but Cerberus is destroyed. Our own fleets helped the Alliance and other races destroy Cronos Station." It was true, he had been there himself, but only for the credits.

"Yes, but Cronos Station, as does Cerberus, lives on. It's an idea, one not so easily eliminated. But that is of no consequence here, what we know is that you're after a certain alien, a say perhaps, quarian?" Titus narrowed his eyes. This guy knew too much. "How the hell do you know this?" Hawk laughed, "Cerberus has a vast network of information Mr. Titus, we know everything. I and the rest of Cerberus are offering Vido and his mercs the chance for a partnership." Everyone on the bridge looked up at Titus. Cerberus wanted to ally with the Blue Suns.

"What do we get from this?" Titus asked. Hawk shooh his head.  _Mercs, always looking for the credits. I guess that's why their mercs._ "You not only get you're quarian, but you also get access to vast sums of credits and the chance to trap a certain human we know you hate." Titus nodded.

"We'll think about it. I will relay this to Mr. Santiago." Hawk smiled, good, they can't resist credits, mercs are so predictable. With that, he cut the line. Titus turned to Malco, having made up his mind, "Contact Mr. Santiago, tell him about the transmission. His response is to be relayed to my private terminal."

Titus looked back at the screen with a large grin.  _You won't be escaping this time little quarian, and this time, you will be mine. You will be...the Blue Suns'._

 **Malkar:** A animal native to Rannoch and Haestrom. Malkar are large beasts, similiar to Earth lions, that live on a omnivore diet, eating a mixture of meat and plant life. They are fast and have strong powerful legs, allowing them to run at the speeds of a Earth cheetah for longer periods of time, but are fatigued severely afterwards.

 **Saera:** Term used when speaking to ones lifemate. Literal translation: My souls soul. Other meanings include, but are not limited to: Keeper of my soul and My souls protector. Most commonly used word throughout the fleet by a quarian when speaking privately to their lifemate. Though unconfirmed by any quarian, there are implications that this word holds extreme intimacy as well as absolute trust. No single human word or phrase encompassed all that this one short word implies as it appears to contain both dominance and submissive traits.

 **Bosh'tet:** Thought by many non-quarians to be the quarian equivalent of "son of a bitch" or "bastard." Surprisingly, it is actually the name of a animal native to Rannoch, similiar to Earth rats. It is a rodent to lives my scavenging, but has a very low intelligence, is quite irritating and lazy. It eats the excrement of other animals, using what's let of it as a home and the undigested bits as sustenance. It will eat any dung, even its own. It will defend its dung pile at any cost, even its own kind, and has been known to fight to the death. Quarians used it as a curse word for people who are being stupid, unresponsive, irritating or fighting for a worthless cause or reason.

 **Halmut:** Ancient Quarian Female clothing. Simliar to current Earth dresses, but less bright and more ragged. It could be called a "dress", but had a number of buttons lining the top that could allow for its quick removal.

**Chapter 8 coming soon. Sorry for the delay in this chapter, I had to not only go to work, but I really wanted to try out some of Retaliation on ME3. Talking about DLC, the Omega 3 DLC has been confirmed! With Aria T'Loak as an antagonist! Looking great, no trailer, but Machinima's Inside Gaming has confirmed it. It's scheduled to come out November 20, don't know if I can drag myself away from Halo 4 to play it, but I think I can manage! :)**


	9. Road to Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Blue Suns plan their assault. Shepard recovers.

_**Road to Recovery** _

"I can't eat this shit anymore. I mean, its so tasteless. Hey Tali, can pleassssseeeeee have some of you're nutrient paste, just one tube! Come on, help me out here!" Garrus begged Tali, who sat right next to him, happily sipping her dextro amino milkshake. Tali silently disconnected the tube to respond, "No, Garrus. If I run out of these, I...I just don't want to find out why this food taste so awful." Garrus continued to give her a pleading look.

She sighed, "Fine, but only one. After that, no. No more. Ancestors help me survive" she disconnected a tube from her suit and put into Garrus' open hand. She was about to return to her milkshake, when she found it was gone. "Hey, where's my..." she heard the telltale signs of vomitting. Looking to her side, she saw Kasumi vomitting, with her milkshake. It was of course, empty.  _Keelah, some people are really stupid._

She said so all could here, "I don't know if you do you're research, but quarians are dextro. Consuming other substances that don't have dextro DNA coding will either kill us or make us really sick. It goes both ways" she said as Kasumi nodded and continued to vomit. She ran towards the women's toilets, closing the doors behind her. Tali went to collect her milkshake, finding barely a drop left. Sighing, she dropped it in a nearby bin.

She wanted to chat with John, but the doctors had rushed her out stating 'he needs his rest and we need to run some tests'. As she rejoined the group, she heard Wrex mention her name, and he approached him. He was talking to Grunt, Ashley and Garrus about something. She stopped behind Wrex, arms crossed, and spoke loudly, "Why are you talking about me and what about?" Wrex turned around, chuckling.

"I wasn't talking about you Tali, I was talking about the other Tali, other Shepard and other Mordin." Garrus and Ashley gave smug looks, Grunt just stood in his usual krogan pose. Tali was confused. She wasn't aware of other quarians named Tali, any other human shepards or other salarian mordins. "I'm the only Tali I know of." she said.

Still smiling, Wrex replied, "Me and Bakara have three children, you work out the rest." It took Tali a second to get his meaning, "You named children after us?" the thought of a krogan child running around with her name was quite...unusual. Urdnot Tali didn't sound right either.

Wrex nodded, "Why not? Name one Mordin, then name the other Shepard. Since we had a third child, and it was a girl, we thought, why not. Besides Tali, you've always been one of my greatest friends" they could hear Garrus clearing his throat, obviously gathering attention to himself. Still chuckling, "Just because you're Shepard's toy doesn't mean I like you Garrus." Everyone chuckled, except Garrus. Even Tali couldn't stiffle a laugh.

"Toy huh? Want to have a little match Me and Tali against you and Grunt?" Everyone stopped laughing and gave him a long hard look. Tali was taken by surprise, "Garrus, he was just joking. We all were. Don't take it so seriously" Tali stated. Garrus looked at her, the look in his eyes clearly told her he was going along with the joke. She smiled back, he wanted a 'play fight'.

Going along with it, Tali walked up to his side, and crossed her arms. "Well Garrus, let's see what these krogan are made of. Unless of course, it's too much to take down a quarian admiral with a shotgun and a turian politician with a sniper rifle?" Garrus rolled his eyes, "I'm not a politician! I'm a temporary secretary!"

Wrex smiled as Grunt joined him, "I'm up for it. However, I think we should make this more interesting. No weapons." With that, he grabbed his shotgun and pistol, and threw them onto the ground. Grunt followed suit, dropping his shotgun and assault rifle. Tali and Garrus glanced at each other. Wrex smiled.  _Come on Tali, Garrus, don't tell me you've softened up._ Then he was taken aback when Tali and Garrus looked back, and dropped their weapon. "Chiktikka, you wait over there." Tali ordered her combat drone over to a corner.

"Time to see how quarians and turians REALLY fight! This is going to be fun." Grunt exclaimed as they headed outside. They continued as Tali whispered in Garrus' ear, "I'll take Grunt, you take Wrex. If needed, we can take them both down together." Garrus looked at her in concern, "Tali, Grunt's  _way_ heavier than you. He'll pulverize you." Tali stopped, hands on her hips. "I may not look like much, but to quote John I'm a 'piece of work'." Garrus chuckled, "I think he was referring to you're energy in..." Tali glared at him.

"You've got no shotgun." Garrus said. Tali laughed as she walked passed him, "No, but I've got Chiktikka readily available." Garrus shuddered and followed her. They stopped in the middle of the field as everyone else came out. Legion stated, "This action has not been observed in organic behaviour, I shall observe." Kal and Lana held hands as they looked at Tali and Garrus, who stood in their battle pose.

"I'll referee this." Wrex, Grunt, Tali and Garrus all turned to see a human running out towards them, smiling. Everyone was smiling, but Tali just stood there shocked.  _Wha..._

The human was John.

...

Shepard lay reading the latest field reports. It had been the courtesy of Admiral Hackett; whenever Tali wasn't around to talk to, comfort or lie with, he had reports to read and could keep up to date with the outside world. He smiled as he heard his mother's home city of Vancouver was the one recovering the fastest. He thought of what his mother was doing, commanding large recovery ships around the galaxy to aid in reconstruction efforts.

He sighed, as the doctor next to him asked, "How are you feeling?" He was really starting to get irritated at this constant annoyance. Were these even true doctors? Dr. Chakwas didn't ask anywhere near this many questions. "I'd say he's perfectly fine" he turned towards the door and as if his thoughts had become true, Dr. Chakwas stood in the doorway.

"Excuse me, just who are you?" the doctor asked. Chakwas smiled, "Doctor Karin Chakwas, Chief Medical Doctor aboard the SSV Normandy SR-2, and I have come to check on my Captain and dear friend. So, you are relieved." The doctor nodded very quickly and then left the room just as quick. Chakwas closed the door and then sat next in Tali's seat, pulling out her omnitool.

"So, how are you feeling exactly? Feeling any better?" she asked. Shepard smiled, he understood why Chakwas had to ask, she only just got here. "I feel better, I know I feel like walking, but none of the doctors will let me. I really want a chance to walk again." Chakwas smiled, taking a quick scan of him with her omnitool she smiles, "Well the good news is that you're ribcage is healing alot faster thanks to those implants Cerberus gave you, I swear to god, you're like wolverine. You're healing alot faster than any human should be. You should be able to walk actually, but running is out of the question. You can try it, but it'll hurt." Shepard smiled in relief. He could at least get up.

"Wait, if my implants have reaper code, then why ain't I dead? The Geth had reaper code, they died. EDI had reaper supcodes, she's dead. But I'm not?" Tali had convinced him that it wasn't his fault, and he trusted her explicitly, hell, he'd trust her with his life and family knowing she'd never betray him or his trust, but that thought placed a pang of doubt. Why did he get to live? Why was he so special?

"I actually can't answer that, you'd have to ask a scientist or engineer, Tali's you're best bet." As she was about to add more, the same doctor from before ran in, "Doctor Chakwas, we could use you're help. A Ms. Goto has consumed a large amount of Mrs. Shepard's Dextro Milkshake and is having bowel problems." Chakwas and Shepard laughed.

Shepard then sat up as Chakwas got up and sat on the edge of his bed, slowly dropping his feet towards the floor. The doctor's eyes widened in shock, "You can't..." Chakwas rolled her eyes, "Look, you are excused, I'll have nurses Judy and Ellen take you're place. You are relieved from watching over Shepard. He is my responsibility now." The doctor turned her gaze to Karin.

"On whose authority?" Chakwas gave a mocking smile, "Authority of Admiral Steven Hackett, Fifth Fleet. You can contact and ask him yourself" the doctor was about to retort when Shepard, spoke up, as he was now standing next to the bed, a little bit dizzy, but keeping his balance, "And by mine, Captain John Shepard is officially back in action." Chakwas and Shepard laughed together. The doctor rolled her eyes and left, mumbling under her breath.

Judy and Ellen then took their chance to appear, "Well, right on time Captain, it looks like Tali and Garrus are about to have a play fight with Wrex and Grunt. Everyone's gone to watch. Thought you'd might want to cheer Tali and Garrus on."

Shepard registered what Ellen said, "I've got to see this." Shepard began walking out the door, but steadily. He slowly gained speed and once clear of the door, he was walking normally again. He still felt a twinge of pain in his side, but not the burning sensation he felt when he woke up.

Once at the doors he returned the surprised marine security detail's salutes as he walked down them. He then had to quickly side step right as Kasumi came rushing by, vomitting as she went, doctors rushing her towards one of the rooms. He smiled, but the side step had caused a throbbing pain to attack his side. He ignored it and came through the doors.

He met the backs of his comrades, this one in particular belonged to Zaeed. "Ahem." Zaeed almost jumped as he turned and saw Shepard, "What in same hell are you doing up?" Shepard just smiled as he passed the glances of his numerous crewmates. Legion just stared at him as he stopped at the front of the group.

He saw Tali and Garrus in a battle pose, weaponless, facing Wrex and Grunt. Most of the Alliance guards around had backed off to give them room, especially when krogan were involved. Without thinking, Shepard began walking towards them and then started running, despite Chakwas' warnings. However, he was surprised to receive a minor throb in his side, not the burning pain he expected. He smiled as he kept running. As he did so, he yelled out, "I'll referee this."

The four contesters changed their looks to him, and all smiled, except Tali. "John? What are you doing up? I thought you were still recovering!" Shepard stopped in front of them, "Chakwas said I'm eligable for walking around, the implants apparently help me heal as fast as Wolverine." Jacob and Miranda laughed, but the four aliens in front of him gave him confused glances. "What is Wolverine?" Garrus asked.

"Ah...he's this human mutant superhero made by these comic creators called Marvel." Still seeing bemused glances, he just shrugged his shoulders, "I'll explain later. Anyway, I heard you four are having a playfight, so I thought I'd referee. So, on my mark..." He slowly backed off, giving a quick wink to Tali. Seeing this as a show of support, Tali smiled and turned back to Grunt. Garrus followed suit, facing Wrex.

Shepard thought they looked like american footballers, their battle pose did anyway. As he stopped he waved his hands in the air indicating, "4...3...2...1...FIGHT!" Then it went into free for all. Wrex charged forward, grabbing Garrus tossing him onto the ground. Grunt attempted the same, but he underestimated Tali. She sidestepped left, and once Grunt had passed, she used Grunt's momentum as a way to topple him onto the ground.

Garrus punched Wrex numerous times in the chest, before uppercutting him, causing Wrex to stagger slightly. This gave Garrus the time to leap up and then evade Wrex's lefthook. Tali meanwhile was currently 'piggybacking' Grunt, as she had her legs wrapped firmly around his body, allowing her to stay on his back while she held his head, holding it backwards. As a krogan, this didn't hurt Grunt. Tali of course, was fully aware of this.

Eventually, Grunt dropped on his back, seemingly crushing Tali. Shepard was about to yell out for everyone to stop, but held his breath as Tali's head popped up. She then kicked Grunt off of her, and jumped on top of him, punching continuously in his face. Garrus was still tackling Wrex, and eventually they fell onto the ground, clawing each other.

Grunt managed to kick Tali off of him, grabbed her and then charged forward until she was rammed into a goalpost. She let out a yelp of pain, but then used Grunt's hesitation as she brought her feet together and pushed. He let go, winded, and then she executed a perfect backflip, before landing and pulling her knife out of her boot.

Shepard would have disarmed her, but he knew Grunt was Krogan, and stabbing him with knives was like a tickle to him. Tali stood in a position where her legs were close to doing the splits, her body arched forward and her visor pointed towards Grunt. She was however oblivious to the fact that her buttocks were in people's faces, and they all turned immediately towards Garrus and Wrex, who were still tackling. Everyone except Shepard of course, who looked at Tali's rearend for a second more before switching to Grunt, who now had Tali's knife wedged firmly in his left shoulder.

Blood poured out, but he just looked at it with irritation. He pulled it out and threw it back at Tali saying as it went "You win Tali, you've proven that you're worthy of being Warlord Shepard's mate." Tali caught the knife without effort, and reseated it in her boot. She then stood back up, and approached Grunt, shaking his hand.

"It was a good fight Grunt, got the blood pumping." Grunt chuckled as they both headed headed back to the group assembled at the hospital. Tali then stopped by Shepard, and took his hand in hers, watching the fight between Garrus and Wrex. It was clear Wrex had won, as Garrus had bruises across his forehead and most of his face.

"That was a very worthy fight, Vakarian. But I guess you'd better stick to sniper rifles" Wrex stated, a smug grin encompassed his face. Garrus shook his head, "I'll keep working on my hand-to-hand, thank you very much. Grunt beat you Tali?"

Tali giggled, "No, I beat him. Sorry Garrus, but I told you should never underestimate a quarian." Garrus had his mouth gaped as Wrex chuckled, "I knew Tali was a strong little kid, I have to give it to Chakwas when she says you two are the perfect couple. Both deadly warriors, but both softies too." Shepard and Tali looked at each other before turning back to Wrex and laughing. "Kid? Little? Better watch it Wrex, or you'll end up like Grunt" Tali said with no malice, just amusement.

Wrex chuckled some more as they headed back inside.

Johnson watched as they went, "Shepard made nice to that guy, has a friendly circle of deadly killing machines, geeks and biotics and married a quarian? He's full of surprises." He said.

"He's not famous for nothing." Mitchell replied as they returned to their prior conversation.

...

The next few hours were nothing but bliss for the Normandy crew. Everyone engaged in numerous conversations, but by the end of the day, they all spoke about the one thing; what they plan to do. "So who's first?" Miranda asked, as they all huddled around the one table.

Everyone's glances turned to John and Tali who held each other close, leaving the conversations in the background as they enjoyed each other's presence. "You two first" Jacob said, chuckling. Shepard glanced at Tali, already knowing what he wanted in the future. "There's only one thing I could want. Once I've recovered here, me and Tali are going to Rannoch and were going to build ourselves a home there. Once that's done, Tali wants to start a clan, Clan Shepard, and adopt a few children who lost their parents in the Reaper War. The rest is our business, and no body elses."

Tali smiled as he spoke, everything he mentioned, she wanted as well. When he finished she simply said, "What he said." Everyone nodded, "Who else?" Grunt spoke up, "I'm going to start training to become a Battlemaster, Shepard has taught me quite alot, and it should make Wrex's training much easier."

The rest continued as time went by and Shepard and Tali just sat there, cuddling each other listening as the others voiced their plans for the future "To keep flying the Normandy" To NOT BE a politician" "To build a home for Oriana" "To become a hardass marine, that was sarcasm" "Please restate the question" etc. etc. etc.

As they spoke, he and Tali had gradually fallen asleep. Eventually, he was woken up by someone lightly shaking him. "John wake up." He opened his eyes to find the table empty all except for Tali who was still holding him, Garrus who was watching them with a grin and Legion who just stared at them, observing them.

"How long have I been asleep for?" he asked. Tali checked her chrono, "You mean  _we_ have been sleeping for 2 hours. I haven't let go of you you know" Tali responded. Shepard returned Garrus' gaze, "And how long have you been watching us clown?" Garrus lost his smile, replaced with confusion, Tali was confused as well.

Before they could ask, he spoke clearly, "It's a person who wears this stupid outfit and does funny or amazing tricks to entertain people, mostly children. They are stereotypically given the term 'smiling pricks.' Garrus nodded in aknowledgment and then understood what Shepard had meant. "I've been watching you for 20 minutes. You two look so...comfortable sleeping like that. How can you stand it?" Garrus found the seating very uncomfortable.

Shepard chuckled, as he reached around Tali's waist, landing his hand on her leftside hip. She snuggled in closer. "When I've got John to use as a pillow, you kinda forget everything around you. And it's not comfortable, a matter of fact, my back is really sore." She released his embrace and stood up, stretching as she yawned.

Looking down she said, "Come John, it's already late and I think we'd better get some rest before leaving the hospital tommorrow." Garrus almost spat his drink out, "You're leaving tommorrow? Why so soon? I thought Dr. Chakwas needed to..." Shepard cut him off, "Dr. Chakwas says the other injuries will heal quite quickly with more movement, so I'm free to go. And now with no more Reapers to worry about and no galaxy to save, I can finally settle down with my lifemate. And hopefully never have to move again." He smiled as he excepted Tali's assistance in standing up.

They both gave a final wave to Garrus before retiring to the bed for the night. Tommorrow would be a big day.

...

"Sir, the hospital has just entered night cycle." Malco reported. Titus smiled, now to send them in. "Excellent. Send word to Yuri's men, tell his company to prepare." Malco nodded and turned back to his console.  _And now starts Operation: WEREWOLF._

...

"Okay, here's the plan." Yuri began as his 6 teams of 12 mercs readied their weapons. "Bustan Hospital has just entered its night cycle, so that gives us the element of surprise. We'll split into 3 units. One will move in through the back and silence Shepard's crew as they sleep. Team two will give our mercs a clear escape route." He looked up to make sure his men were following. Noticing they were, he continued.

"Team Three will acquire the quarian and then head for the LZ. Got it? And may you have the brains to keep that quarian alive. I'm updating you're HUDs with her dossier and picture. Her name is Tali'Shepard, and you are to capture her ALIVE, by all means nessacary. Whatever you do, do not underestimate her. She is a deadly opponent, and it would be wise to take out Shepard first before engaging. Understood?" The mercs nodded. "Then let's do this!"

Everyone ran for the shuttle, entering their assigned compartments. "And I'll be the one to deal with Mrs. Shepard." He smiled,  _This is going to be fun._ He thought as the Shuttle took off and sped away from the Corsair.

**Will Tali survive the Blue Suns assault. Find out in Chapter 9. Coming soon...hopefully. No guarantees. I'll get it out as soon as able.**


	10. Rise of Indoctrination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Blue Suns assault the hospital. Shepard and his team mount a defense, unaware of their target.

_**Rise of Indoctrination** _

All was quiet outside. Not a peep. Unless of course, you count the builders in the distance, but aside from that, the city was fast asleep. Johnson held his rifle steady, checking his chrono.  _5 Minutes till I can get some damn rest. I'm exhausted._ It had been a pretty long day for him, his 5 hour shift was mostly spent playing soccer or running around, and he was looking forward to some rest.

"Keep you're cool, Johnson. Its almost time for you're shift to end as well as mine, then we can both get some shuteye" Mitchell stated. Johnson nodded and returned to gazing out into the meyriad of either toppled or half rebuilt skyscrapers. He had been born in London, but he had no british accent.

He let out a yawn as all of a sudden, he spotted a flash of light nearby. Before he could even move, his head exploded in fireworks of blood and gore, and his body fell to the ground, dead. "SHIT!" Mitchell reached for his omnitool, but he quickly met the same untimely end. Out of the darkness, 11 Blue Suns mercs emerged. "Get rid of the bodies, silently" the squad leader ordered. He heard Yuri's voice over his suit comm, "Team Two, status."

"Our sniper just scoped two marines, but they ain't aware of our presence yet." Yuri smiled, "Copy that Team Two, Yuri out" he switched to Team One's comms, who stated they were advancing on the temporary quarters of Shepard's crew.  _Good, this is going well._ Turning to his team, he motioned for them to follow, the other 12 mercs following quickly behind him. According to the schematics, Shepard would be on the upper level.  _Where our quarian friend should be._

...

Garrus silently sipped his dextro coffee. Legion just stood nearby, monitoring the nearby food supplies, trying to determine the need of food among organics. It had been only 6 minutes since Shepard and Tali had left for bed, but to him it felt like an eternity. He took a final sip of his coffee before giving up.

He stood up and dropped his cup in the sink. He approached the hall doors, taking slow steps. As soon as he entered, he was greeted by the sight of dozens of sleeping mats. Everyone sleeping away. He saw Kal and Lana packed tightly on one at the top corner of the room.  _How do quarians manage that._ He had alot of things to learn from Tali, Kal and Lana, but he left his questions for later as he approached a lone sleeping mat.

He stepped into it, and after lying down it, looked up at the ceiling. Surely he thought to himself, he wasn't planning to sleep in his armor? He sure hoped it didn't become a habit. He was about to close his eyes when he heard banging. His eyes shot open, and he stood up. Another bang.

He reached under the mat, and got out his assault rifle. He picked up a fresh thermal clip and slapped it into his Cerberus Harrier. Moving forward quietly, sighting down his harrier, he moved into the cafeteria that he had just left. He made sure the area was clear before moving behind a table. Bang. This time, it was right next to him.

He shot up, rifle levelled. He looked down the sights only to be blinded by a bright light. He sighed. "Vakarian-Secretary, have I caused irritation? Or has you're rest cycle been troubling?" Legion asked as Garrus lowered his weapon.

"Legion, just what were you doing in here?" Garrus asked, really annoyed that he had almost blown Legion's head off out of shock. Legion gave him a blank stare, "As I said, I was observing the numerous foodstuffs available. They have some very interesting choices. However, I was interested by a loud banging. I went to investigate, but since it was you."

Garrus was turning but stopped and turned back as Legion's words registered. "Wait, you weren't causing the banging?" Legion snapped its head to his and shook it, a gesture he learnt from observing organic behaviour. Based on Garrus' current posture, he wasn't the one responsible for the banging. He had also been investigating.

Seconds after, Garrus recognized the tell tale blue and white of a Blue Suns uniform in the doorway. Jumping over the table, Garrus had his weapon levelled just as the merc saw him. He pulled the trigger, hitting the merc in the head before his shields could register the shot.

"Mercs, Blue Suns, they always come in groups. We need to wake the others" Legion stopped Garrus as he ran for the hall, "What about Shepard-Captain and Admiral Tali'Shepard?" Garrus stopped, looking at Legion, up the stairs, then back at him. "Let them rest. It's just a few mercs, we can deal with them ourselves." Legion nodded and followed Garrus inside the hall.

"Guys, wake up. Were under attack from Blue Suns" Garrus shook everyone awake. Legion grabbed a nearby sniper rifle and equipped it, watching the doorways with machine like efficiency. "Blue Suns? You shitting me?" Zaeed said as he jumped up, equipping Jesse as he went.

Soon, just about everyone was up and moving. Then shots were heard as two alliance marines fell dead. 6 mercs came in after the bodies, and froze in terror as all eyes were on them. It was silence. Noone fired any shots, it was a death stare contest.

Then Kasumi could be heard approaching, "Blue Suns...?" All it took was the turning of one merc's head for all hell to break loose. The merc turning his head had it blown apart by a round from Legion's sniper rifle.

Two other mercs ran for cover, but were enveloped in blue light, before being blown back into a wall, and gunned down by SMG fire from Kasumi. Miranda and Liara smiled at each other, before breaking ranks. The last three mercs attempted a tactical retreat as reinforcements arrived, 6 more mercs.

"FEEL THE BLOOD RAGE!" Grunt, Claymore at the ready, charged forward, crushing one unlucky merc under his feet, and smashing another into a wall. With the other merc pinned, Grunt let out a mad laugh as he fired his claymore at the stunned merc, the blast lifting the merc off the ground, his ribcage ripping open and gore smearing the floor. The merc's body landed on the ground two meters away and then Grunt turned to the pinned merc.

The other 6 mercs immediately fired at the krogan, but the shots reflected harmlessly off his shields. It was then that Zaeed stepped in and shouted, "I OWN ALL OF YOU BITCHES!" He managed to land a shot in the shoulder blade of a startled batarian, who slowly succumbed to a hail of bullets from Miranda's SMG.

Zaeed turned to engage the second merc on his right flank, but the merc was then thrown into the wall by another merc's body and after turning to look, he saw Grunt was the tosser. The merc pushed the body off of her, but was picked up and her neck snapped by Jack's biotics, who ran into the battlefield, emptying a clip from her pistol into the last four mercs, she took cover behind some crates.

Two of the mercs laid surpressing fire with their assault rifles, while the two others made all forward. Behind them, another 12 mercs could be seen moving down the hallway, heading for the upper level. Garrus cursed, "Shepard, if you cah hear me, were under attack from Blue Suns Mercs, you've got 12 headed your way. You and Tali better be ready."

No response, but he was sure Shepard heard him. Before he could react however, the two advancing mercs fired at him, one scoring a lucky hit in his side. He winced, and as he levelled his weapon, the merc he was aiming at lit up with electric shock, his shields decimated.

Lana then bursts it into view, using her incinerate to finish the merc. Realizing she had used Energy Drain, a power Tali loved using, Garrus focused on the merc next to Lana, who was moving in to surprise her with a hit across the back of the head. Before Garrus could even fire, Kal came out of nowhere, firing his missile launcher at the two mercs with assault rifles, sending them flying into the walls, before he dropped it and engaged the merc in hand-to-hand.

Shouting curses in Khelish, Kal continues to tackle with the merc, who is losing. Using his upper body strength, Kal wrenches the rifle out of the merc's hands, but not before the merc pulls the trigger, shooting Kal in the right shoulder. Kal winces, but executes a 360 turn, and empties the whole clip into the merc screaming  _BOSH'TETS!_

Finally satisfied the merc was dead, he allowed Lana to sit him on the ground, as she looked at his wound, which had blood oozing from it. One merc had survived Kal's missile blast, and got up, but was quickly cut down by Javik.

"Bastards. Why are they attacking?" Kal shouted, letting Judy tend to his wound. He was going to get a infection, but it was most likely going to be minor. Garrus shrugged, and looked at Zaeed. "Hey don't look at me. I didn't think Darner Vosque would have the balls to execute something like this. Especially against a facility with Shepard in it."

"Okay, well since I'm the highest ranking member here, I'll be taking command." Grunt shook his head, mumbling "I hate turian leaders" Garrus ignored him and continued. "We have only encountered 12 mercs. I don't know if anyone else noticed, but a second group of another dozen moved down the hall towards Shepard and Tali. There are most likely more of them, so stay sharp. We'll split up and take three sides of the hospital."

"Team One will be me, Jacob, Miranda, Grunt and Wrex. We'll move to assist Shepard, he and Tali are almost undefeatable, but 12 mercs is bad news. Team Two will be Jack, Ashley, Legion, Lana and Samara. You're to secure the rear of the facility. Everyone else, you're team three. You stay here and protect Kal, Joker and the rest of the non-combatants. Understood?"

Everyone nodded. Lana hesitated, but nodded. She kneeled down next to Kal and tapped her visor with his, "I shall return soon  _Saera._ " Kal nodded, not wanting her to go, but knew she had too. Garrus' orders. But with a geth infiltrator, a powerful biotic, well trained spectre and an asari justicar, he knew she'd be fine.

They all moved out to their assigned areas, with Kal limping into the hall.

...

"Tali, wake up. Tali wake up now, were under attack." With the word attack, Tali jumped up and into her battle pose. "Where?" Shepard wanted to laugh, but this was serious. 12 mercs headed their way. He wasn't fully healed, but he could at least fight. "Not here yet, but we'd better be ready. Garrus just reported that their coming."

Nodding, she grabbed her geth plasma shotgun and pistol. Holstering her pistol, Tali holds out a hand to help Shepard up. He takes it, and once on his his feet, he is handed a Avenger assault rifle. "Where did you get this?" he asked. Avengers in surgery wards? Paranoia was at an all time high here. Tali gave him a look saying 'now's not the time' and he just moved up outside, weapon levelled.

Motioning for Tali to follow closely behind him, Shepard moves down the hallway towards a pack of crates. Voices could be heard. Tali joined him, preping her shotgun. John looked long and hard at her, "12 mercs Garrus said, so we'll plan ahead..." he was saying as Tali released Chiktikka and readied her omnitool, she smiled under her mask.

"I'm always ready" she stated simply. John smiled, "I know." He positioned his Avenger so it was laid perfectly on its belly, allowing him to rotate it fast. The voices got louder until he could make out what they were saying, "He's just up here. Check you're fire, don't kill Shepard, were just here for..." 7 mercs came into view, and Shepard decided to open fire.

The shots tore into the left merc's armor, killing her instantly. Chiktikka disabled the shields of another, and Tali leapt out of cover, unleashing 3 balls of plasma, killing the shieldless merc. The rest of the mercs arrived just after and all 10 took cover. They all exchanged potshots at each other, as if taking it in turns to shoot at one another.

"Tali, drain that asshole's shields so I can..." a shot nearby cut him off, but he didn't need to finish, Tali got the point. She rose and unleashed energy drain on one merc, allowing Shepard to cut into his armor, downing him. Tali returned to her cover, and resummoned Chiktikka. This time, she prepared to dual-wield her shotgun and pistol.

When his Avenger ran out of ammo, John cursed. Throwing away the now useless rifle, John sunk into the cover. Tali passed him her pistol. Taking the Phalanx pistol, he rose up and landed a shot squarely in a approaching merc's face.

Returning to cover to not only avoid the hail of fire that succeeded his attack, but also to reload, Shepard was surprised to hear the gunfire cease. He turned to see the mercs gone.  _Hiding in cover._ He saw Tali preparing to move out, but reached out his arm, stopping her. "It might be a trap" he said. Tali nodded and rejoined him behind cover, taking the time to reload her shotgun.

Shepard keyed his omnitool and contacted Garrus, "Garrus, were at a stalemate here. We need you're help in flank..." he didn't get to finish as a can of sleeping gas rolled into their cover, unleashing the agent. This agent could only affect Shepard, so they must be after him. He tried to move, but the agent took hold to fast.

Before he knew it, he was slumped, unconscious. Tali noticed this, and dragged him further behind cover. She couldn't see a thing, even her thermals couldn't. This gas was so thick. She got up, shotgun levelled and approached the mercs position. Risky, but she had no choice. She would kill all these mercs single-handedly to protect John.

"You're not getting John! Not on my watch!" She moved out of her cover and was ready to press the trigger, but was met by the butt of a rifle. It slammed hard into her mask, hitting her with such force she was propelled into the ground. Her visor cracked severely, smashing, bits of glass cutting into her face.

She was knocked out immediately as Yuri stood over her. He motioned for his mercs to pick her up, he crouched next to her, letting his hand glide down her arm pervertly before whispering in her ear, "Were here for you princess."

...

"Shepard? Shepard! Damn it, come on!" Garrus barked as he and his team rushed up the steps. Shepard had stopped responding so something must have gone wrong. Grunt and Wrex rushed up ahead, Jacob and Miranda securing his flank. "Hurry!" He urged them. They ran as fast as they could, Grunt and Wrex killing an advance guard of three mercs.

Soon, they reached the stairs and ran up as fast as they could. Thanks to less armor, Miranda got there first. "Captain! Garrus, Captain Shepard's been hurt!" Garrus ran even faster and when they reached the top, they'd reached a battlefield.

Spent thermal clips lay everywhere with the bodies of four mercs laying on the ground, their wounds pouring blood and their weapons laying beside them. He could see a discarded assault rifle and Miranda standing next to it, looking at something behind the crates. Had to be Shepard.

Wrex and Grunt watched the rear as Jacob and Garrus went up to Miranda and looked down to see a unconscious Shepard. There was only one thing missing: Tali. "Wait, if Shepard's here, then where's Tali? It's not like her to run away and leave Shepard like this. Something's wrong" Garrus said. Everyone nodded. They were about to go looking for her when Shepard stirred.

Opening his eyes, he rubbed them and began saying, "Sleeping gas and then..." he began looking frantically around, "Tali! Where is she!?" He shouted, he immediately stood up and picked up Tali's phalanx. Just as Garrus' opened his mouth, he heard Wrex call it, "Over here! I found Tali's shotgun." He came back, holding it.

Garrus and Shepard gave each other a look of worry. Then Kal's voice came over the line, "This is Kal'Reegar to team one, do you hear me over?" Garrus responded, "Team one here, we have Shepard, but Tali's missing. What's wrong?"

"Oh, well I have you're answer. A whole squad of 6 mercs rushed through the doors and they were...dragging Tali behind them." Shepard didn't even hesitate, he dashed for the stairways. "NO!" was all he shouted as he ran down the stairs, Garrus didn't bother calling out for him to slow down, he just signalled team two to head for the hospital entrance ASAP before he and team one followed.

Shepard jumped and landed at the bottom of the stairwell. This sent a jab of pain up his legs, but he didn't care. He continued running until he burst through the door. He looked to see a Blue Suns Shuttle with 6 mercs entering it, dragging Tali along with them. "TALLLLIIIII! NO!" One of the mercs looked back at him as he ran at the shuttle.

The bastard smiled, before a shot nearby caught the asshole's attention. Yuri quickly signalled the pilot to seal the doors and take off. The pilot hesitated, as they'd be leaving the others behind, but followed his orders. Shepard continued running, firing potshots. He finally reached the shuttle as the door was closing and jumped on.

He desperately reached out, trying to find a handhold, but met only the cold boot of a merc in his face as he plumetted to the ground. He landed with a thud, as the shuttle elevated higher and higher.

Team Two arrived, with Lana firing helplessly at it with her shotgun, Legion with his sniper rifle, managing to take one merc's head off before the door fully closed. Damn it, he wished the merc had been that blissful dickhead. Samara went to throw wreckage at it, but Garrus held her arm down, "They've got Tali in there!" But it was too late.

Before Kal came out with his missile launcher, the shuttle had enough space and took off. Shepard was angry,  _very angry,_ and he was ready to take it out on some unlucky mercs. "ASSSHOLLLLESSSS!" Shepard lunged forward, ripping Garrus' assault rifle from his hands and gunning down 5 mercs that had the stupidity to attack him.

He reloaded, and then gunned down another 2 mercs who had tried alternating cover. When Shepard had done killing them, the final 5 came out, dropping their weapons, hands behind their heads and dropped to their knees. They were surrendering. But Shepard wasn't done yet. Oh hell no, his adrenaline rush was nowhere close to its climax. He felt like taking on Harbinger himself.

He approached weapon at the ready and gunned down the first merc. Seeing where this was going, as a friend, Garrus took the weapon out of Shepard's hands. This caused Shepard to grab Garrus and throw him away. Unable to stop him, Samara used her biotics to pin him to the ground.

"ARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH HH! I WILL HAVE DARNER VOSQUE'S HEAD FOR THIS! HE TOOK MY LIFEMATE! COCKY BASTARD! HE'LL...HE'll...He'll...pay. I want Tali back, I want  _my_ Tali back." Seeing that Shepard had calmed down, she moved to help the others escort the 4 merc survivors away.

Garrus moved to Shepard's side helping him up against the metal plate. Lana held Kal close, her desire to join with him ever increasing. She felt John's pain, they all did. "We did what we could. We'll get her back, we promise."

Shepard didn't respond, he just began crying, holding his face in his hands. Then he stopped for a second, "Contact the Turanga! Tell them to engage that shuttle!"

...

"Captain, we have a transmission from Captain Shepard, relaying it to you." The helmsman of the Turanga reported. Captain Incas nodded and then opened the transmission. "Captain Shepard, to what do I..." he was interrupted before finishing his sentense.

"No time to explain right now, but there is a blue suns shuttle coming from the surface! I need you to disable it's engines right now!" Incas was taken aback, "I can't..." Shepard gave him a pleading look. When a war hero gave you that look, you couldn't resist. "Very well, helmsman, do you see any blue suns shuttles coming from the surface?"

He nodded, "Yes sir, I count one." Incas nodded, "Pursue that vessel, do not let it escape. Gunner, rotate the gatlings and target the shuttle's engines. I want it disabled, not destroyed." The gunner and helmsman stations nodded, moving to their assigned tasks. "Sir, shuttle just past us. Executing 360, we'll be in position to pursue in 40 seconds. Their headed for the moon." Incas frowned.  _Luna? Their headed towards an alliance moon, why?_ He shrugged his shoulders and watched as the ship rotated.

40 seconds later, they could see the spot that was the shuttle, "Give me a firing solution on that shuttle, engineering, all ahead full." The Turanga moved sluggishly at first, but then picked up speed, until it was 40 kilometers off the shuttle. "We have a firing solution." Incas smiled, "Fire..."

"SIR! Large enemy contact, it just appeared right in front of us! Records show it to be a Corsair, the shuttle just entered it."  _Fuck, that piece of work will easily outrun us._ "Fire! Fire! Reintialize the firing solution and disable that corsair! NOW!" The guns fired, but they were too late. The ship pulled off a sharp turn and sped away at the last moment, the shots just missing.

"Pursue that..." he was interrupted by the helmsman. "They just disappeared. Sir...their gone." Incas smashed the console and everyone turned to him. "Take us back to Earth, best speed."

"Aye Aye." the helmsman akwnowledged as they turned back to Earth. Sighing, Captain Incas keyed his console. He had alot of bad news.

...

When Tali woke up, she was in a dark room. A  _very_ dark room. One light illuminated the room, and nearby was a pillar, split apart to show a single little device.  _What is that?_ She thought she'd seen one before, but couldn't point out where.

She instinctively called out, "John? John where are..." she remembered her predicament prior to being knocked out. Something didn't feel right, she looked at her suit and felt like something was missing. "Looking for this?" a voice came from the shadows.

She looked up, "Who are you? What do you want from me? Where am I? Where is my lifemate!?" A laugh cracked through the air, and a familiar Blue Suns merc stepped into the light, holding the one thing she treasured, the item that made her complete, initiated the bond between her and John. Now she knew was missing.  _Bosh'tet's got my Pal'tec vis Surden._

She was angry that he would dare do such a thing. When she got out of this chair, and she would, she would kill him. This was Vido, a man she thought dead at Zaeed's hands. Apparently not. "I'm sure you know me, and this," he pointed to her pal'tec, "I think I'll keep this as a souvenir, as you won't be needing it. You are at a discreet base of mine on a planet called Zorya, far away from any help, so you're little War Hero can't help you. And he is fine, had to knock him out to get to you. You're the reason we attacked the hospital in the first place. You're...let's say...a test subject for a little experiment."

She shuddered. She didn't like this, "When I get out of this chair, I will kill you with my bare hands, you  _Det Kazuat."_ She was snarling, hissing, growling. She felt as if her primal senses were in action. This just made Vido laugh louder, "Oh you will be coming out of that chair, but you won't want to kill me. Not when I'm done with you. Sulak, if you please."

With that, he bowed and left the room, door closing behind him. Through the speakers she heard his voice clearly, "When I'm done, you'll think like a merc." Tali laughed herself, how delusional he was.

"If you're idiotic enough to believe I'd ever help you, you're kidding yourself. I'll never work for you  _Hagrr'hizs."_ Vido just smiled, "Who said anything about you  _willingly_  joining us?" Vido appeared behind a sheet of glass, standing next to a batarian she guessed was Sulak.

She was about to retort when the device lit up, and she felt a tingle in her body. "Wha..." Then she heard it, a big voice in her head as she began screaming, long and loud and Vido just smiled his best ugly smile.

"ASSUMING CONTROL OF THIS FORM."

 **Bosh'tet:** Thought by many non-quarians to be the quarian equivalent of "son of a bitch" or "bastard." Surprisingly, it is actually the name of a animal native to Rannoch, similiar to Earth rats. It is a rodent to lives my scavenging, but has a very low intelligence, is quite irritating and lazy. It eats the excrement of other animals, using what's let of it as a home and the undigested bits as sustenance. It will eat any dung, even its own. It will defend its dung pile at any cost, even its own kind, and has been known to fight to the death. Quarians used it as a curse word for people who are being stupid, unresponsive, irritating or fighting for a worthless cause or reason.

 **Saera:** Term used when speaking to ones lifemate. Literal translation: My souls soul. Other meanings include, but are not limited to: Keeper of my soul and My souls protector. Most commonly used word throughout the fleet by a quarian when speaking privately to their lifemate. Though unconfirmed by any quarian, there are implications that this word holds extreme intimacy as well as absolute trust. No single human word or phrase encompassed all that this one short word implies as it appears to contain both dominance and submissive traits.

 **Pal'tec vis Surden:** Medallion presented during the Ceremony of Bonding. Literal translation: Symbol of Souls United. Quarians followed a different path, where humans would place a ring upon their bride, a quarian male would present a medallion depicting the future life of the newly bonded pair. Worn on a chain around the neck before the war, they now are carried by every bonded female in a special pocket within their envirosuits, just above their heart. Usually made from precious metals, the quarians in the fleet now use scrap metals to conserve resources.

 **Det Kazuat:** Term of curse, considered especially crude. Literal Translation: Living sack of excrement. The Otquer, a large predatory lizard, will pass its meal neatly wrapped in a membranous tissue. Inside the sack, the enzymes used to break down the meat of the prey while still in the lizard continue to act as a stimulant keeping the indigestible brain synapses of its last meal still working until the sun dries the sack out.

 **Hagrr'hizs:** Term used to refer to the intellectually challenged. Literal translation: Forever Children. Mentally retarded or damaged people of the quarian race. Though infrequent, more of these special needs children have been born lately.

**With Tali in Vido's hands, what will happen next? Is the Normandy crew going to have to go on one last adventure? And what do the Blue Suns and Cerberus have in common that could warrant a partnership? What is Hawk and Vido's agenda? Find out soon, in Chapter 10.**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hopefully will have Chapter 10 out soon. Cheers. :)**

**This is probably the longest chapter I've written so far. :/ Meh.**


	11. The Enemy I Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shepard begins his mission to find Tali. Meanwhile, Vido makes use of his new agent to take out a rival.

_**The Enemy I Love** _

Shepard continued to pace up and down as if desperately waiting to see someone. Oh wait, he was. He couldn't stop thinking about Tali.  _What are they doing to her as I pace around doing nothing. Torturing her? Or maybe..._ No, she wasn't dead. He wasn't willing to accept that. If they wanted her dead, they would have killed her on the spot.

He finally stopped pacing as Hackett opened the door. Letting his legs control his actions, he walked into the room without saluting or aknowledging Hackett. "What's the rush?" he chuckled. Shepard snapped back to him with a glare. "Why the rush? WHY THE RUSH? MY LIFEMATE HAS BEEN ABDUCTED BY THE BLUE SUNS AND I'M STANDING HERE TALKING TO YOU!

Realizing he hit a nerve he took back his words, "I am sorry Captain, I didn't realize what had happened. The reports on the hospital attack only just streamed in. I'm sorry about Tali, she was a fine engineer, that's for sure." Shepard looked up at him, he had given up? No, John wouldn't. "She's not dead, they took her for something, and I'm going to find her."

Hackett shook his head, "The Blue Suns are long gone, wherever they took her is most likely beyond our reach. I'm sorry Shepard, there is nothing we can do" Shepard slammed his fist into the table. Hackett had never seen him lose control like this before. "WERE NOT GIVING UP! NOT UNTIL WE FIND HER! Then I'm going to kill every last one of those assholes. If they've done anything to her...we need to think of something."

Shepard had his idea formulated, it was time for the Normandy to get back into action, "Admiral, give me the Normandy. I'll do it" Hackett wasn't sure. You sure Shepard? It's a BIG galaxy." Shepard stood in parade rest, "She's my lifemate. It is my sworn duty to protect her from any harm, by bond. I don't care if I have to take on the entire galaxy to find her, I won't let them harm her."

Confidence was one of Shepard's highlights, and it was burning more brightly then he thought before. "Very well Shepard, the Normandy's all yours. I shall make the proper arrangements, get you're crew ready." Shepard smiled, saluted and left. He was so happy, not only was the Normandy back in action, he could finally start looking for Tali.

As he exited the facility, he was met by Garrus, Kal, Lana and Liara. "Shepard, I'm sorry. This is all my fault, I let Tali out of my sight and...I should have engaged those mercs" Kal stated. Shepard looked down at him, "It wasn't you're fault, you were injured and in no condition to engage 6, well armed mercs with reinforcements of 12."

"So what now? We just sit on our asses while the Alliance looks for her? She could be getting tortuted somewhere! We have to do something!" Garrus stated. Shepard nodded, "The alliance isn't in position to help. However...Hackett has given us back the Normandy. This is our search now."

They all smiled, "But we have no leads. We can't just go planet to planet. By the time we find the right one, she could be dead." Shepard got goosebumps at the thought of Tali lying dead in a pool of her own blood, but it was true. Time was not on their side. Another dead end as well, no leads. Wait...

"Were going to the Citadel, it's currently being moved back to the Serpent Nebula, but if we catch up, we can board it. Darner Vosque is there, so Tali must be there as well!" Everyone widened their eyes in hope. They can save Tali right now.

"Contact the crew, tell them to meet at Cairo Space Docks. It's time for search and rescue."

...

"Approaching Citadel now." Joker stated, glad to be back home. Shepard stood behind him, in full armor, ready for a fight, Garrus and Kal right behind him. He was in standard parade rest, his krogan "death" mask shining in the light of the bridge. "Were being hailed" Joker stated.

"SSV Normandy, this is Citadel control, were are currently in transport operations and are not accepting visitors. Back off immediately or our ships will open fire" Still has friendly as ever. He reached over, "I am Commander John Shepard of the SSV Normandy SR-2, Captain by quarian law, Spectre by Citadel Procolamation and I'm on a very important mission. Were dealing with a Blue Suns abduction where we believe the assailant is on the Citadel. It would be wise to have C-Sec units await us in dock."

It took a few seconds to verify, "Very well Captain, you're cleared to dock. Captain Aaron Summers and his squad will meet you in the hangar, Control out." Shepard was surprised to hear Aaron mentioned, guess after all that pep talk, he decided to sign up. Surprising he's a Captain already. Shepard watched as the Normandy glided into dock, the clamps locking down.

Moving back, Shepard and the squad left the Normandy. As they approached the doors to the elevator, Kal stated clearly, "Lana is attempting to hack into the Blue Suns frequencies, she will monitor their communications, should give us the jump on those merc bastards." He said, readying his rifle.

Shepard nodded as the elevator descended, the music beginning to play. He always loved this music, reminded him of the times Garrus, Tali and him had on the elevator. The thought of Tali only brought sadness, so he swept it away. "Good, we'll need every edge we get." When the elevator finally stopped, they were greeted by 2 turians, an asari and Aaron.

"You looking for Darner Vosque? If so, he's down in the old Refugee camp. Cleared now, but apparently he's set up shop there. We have two squads on sight and ready to go." He reported. Shepard nodded, "Has any quarians been reported coming into the station?" Aaron shook his head, "Reports can't be trusted, could have been snuck in."

True. "Then let's not just stand here, we have my lifemate to save." Aaron nodded and they all entered a nearby C-Sec patrol car, Aaron taking control as it elevated and took off.

It was a relatively short flight as they arrived at the Refugee camp, and they all hopped off, everyone levelling their weapons, ready to kill. When they finally reached the other two squads, Aaron asked Shepard when he would like to begin the assault. "Do it." And they all rushed in.

...

Vido sat with his legs on the table, blissfully smiling as he tossed his pistol in the air constantly, waiting for Sulak to report back but the indoctrination process. Damn it, it was taking too long. _Maybe it doesn't work on quarians. Damn it, should have thought of that. Wait, but I saw a few indoctrinated quarians, so it definitely works._

He let his mind run through all the possible scenarios, but found no reason why it would not work. The only thing was the range, and the quarian bitch had been placed right next to it, and she was screaming her head off. 2 minutes ago, she still had been. It had been a long 2 hours of screaming, that's for sure.

He looked up as he heard the door open and Sulak walk in. Looking behind him, he saw Tali, looking at the ground, her visor hidden from sight. Looking back at Sulak he asked, "So, how did it go?" A smile quickly formed on Sulak's batarian face. "Take a look, she's had a makeover, I think you'll find no flaws."

Motioning for Tali to step forward, she obeyed, stopping only in front of Vido's desk. Vido was irritated, why was she obsessed with the ground? She didn't move. "Look at me and prove you're a asset worth using. Commander Tali'Zorah look at me now!" That's good. Make her forget about Shepard, that will strengthen my hold over her.

She slowly looked up and finally he saw her whole visor, but it was lacking the floating blue orbs of light that were her eyes. Then they returned, slightly brighter. He smiled, "You will serve as my second-in-command, you will do as I tell you to and will not question my orders, understood?"

She nodded, saying, "You're my commander, I shall obey." Vido nodded, "What is you're main goal?" Tali took a second to answer, "To kill that bosh'tet, Shepard." Vido smiled. She was indoctrinated fully alright. "Very good, you may leave Sulak."

Sulak nodded and left. Once the doors closed, he looked back at Tali, "As you're first mission, I want you to go to the Citadel and terminate Mr. Vosque for me. As the new leader of the Blue Suns, his usefulness has halted. Make sure he is silenced, permanently. A shuttle will be provided."

Tali nodded and left the room. Turning she was given a claymore shotgun by Yuri and a Carnifex Heavy Pistol. "You ready?" he asked. He was ordered to keep an eye on this bitch, make sure she didn't pull any stunts. Indoctrinated or not, he'd seen love crazy quarians pull off some bat shit crazy stuff. She nodded, "Let's go."

They both headed for the shuttle as Tali thought, with a smile etched on her face.  _Time to terminate this bug._

...

Shepard watched as the final merc fell. Reloading his Harrier, he motioned to Garrus to take point and Kal to take the rear. He then took the middle. The mercs hadn't seen the attack coming, so they were pretty unprepared. They continued to kill merc after merc at a ridiculously rapid pace.  _The mercs must have known I'd come for Tali and prepared accordingly. Something isn't right._ Still, he continued.

He cursed as a Blue Suns Sniper round bounced off his shields and he was forced to dive for cover. Kal did the same, but Garrus advanced, Krysae rifle poised. Firing, the merc was blown to pieces. "I love this thing!" He said, reloading the rifle. The explosive rounds of the weapon did massive damage, especially to unshielded opponents.

They soon had the area clear save for the final docking bay. He caught a glimpse of Vosque in his armor, rifle ready to take Shepard's head off. He instead killed a turian C-Sec officer before taking cover. Shepard yelled out, "Give back Tali and maybe I'll make you're death quick and painless."

"Who the fuc..." he was silenced by a horde of gunfire from Kal and some asari officers, and Shepard got out from cover, gunning down two surprised mercs as he went, plunging his omniblade deep into the face of a third before running back behind cover, closing the distance to Darner by about 5 meters.

Soon the last mercs fell, leaving Vosque. Shepard got out, weapon poised at Darner as he dropped his weapon, hands in the air. Garrus stayed behind to insure all mercs were dead while Kal watched Shepard's back. C-Sec helped Garrus clear the area.

"I surrender! I surrender!" Darner shouted. Shepard was angry, not at Darner's surrender, but at the absence of Tali. "Where are you keeping her!?" He shouted, swapping his rifle for his pistol, grabbing Darner by the scruff of the collar and plunging the pistol up into his jaw. Darner was petrified, "Who!? I have no idea what you're..."

Shepard dropped him and knee'd him in the balls. Clutching his balls, Darner fell down to the ground in pain, Shepard looming over him, pistol raised at his head, ready to deliver the killing blow. "Don't bullshit me, I know you lead the Blue Suns and they recently attacked Bustan Hospital, abducting my lifemate. WHERE ARE YOU KEEPING HER!?"

Darner slowly got up, still yelping in pain but able to stand. He looked at Shepard with petrified eyes, he was really shitting himself. Shepard didn't drop the pistol for one second. "I didn't order any attacks! I've just been collecting weapons, that's all! Even check the crates! I don't control the Blue Suns anymore, someone else has taken control! Believe me, I have no idea where you're 'lifemate' is, I swear. Besides, don't you think you would have found her by now?"

Shepard thought through this. "If you're not in charge anymore, than who is? And where have they taken my Tali?" he asked nobody specific. Darner was about to answer when he made a choking sound. Shepard, who had been turning to leave, turned back to see blood erupting from Darner's neck.

He watched in horror as a familiar voice came from behind him, "Vido Santiago, the true leader of the Blue Suns", no it couldn't be. It wasn't. But it was. The figure, revealed to be in tactical cloak, revealed herself. She was quarian, her familiar purple realk a reminder of the one he loved.

"Tali...?" He began to ask. Tali just ripped the knife out and threw the body at him. He fell to the ground. He picked up Darner's deceased form and threw it off him, but not before Tali leapt on him, each leg on both sides of his torso. She held her knife to his throat.

He looked into her eyes and found nothing but shear loathing and hatred. Those loving and kind eyes that always invoked peace in him now non-existent. This couldn't be Tali. But it was, she had the same voice, the same realk, the same visor, the same battle posture. This was Tali, what had they done to her.

" _Saera,_ it's me! What are you doing!? I'm here to help..." She pressed the knife up to his throat, just close enough not to slit it, "Don't you dare use that word human animal, I don't even know who you are, only that I have to kill you." Her first words hurt him, but her second sentence shocked him.  _Amnesia maybe. No, the Blue Suns must be using mind control. Oh god, this is worse than torture._ He went to hold Tali close, but as soon as he touched her she screamed, "FILTHY HUMAN PERVERTED BOSH'TET!" she was about to slit his throat when Kal called out.

"That's close enough Tali. What's gotten into you?" Tali turned her attention to Kal, and without hesitation leapt off Shepard, and attacked Kal. "Tali stop!" Kal didn't want to fire, so he dropped the weapon and went to engage her hand-to-hand. A bad mistake, quarians females have better agility, Kal didn't stand a chance.

His shields drained by Tali's Energy Drain, she equipped her claymore and prepared to blast him when Shepard got up and shouted, "BA'IZ CEXZ IL'ALIN FELZ! STOP THIS RIGHT NOW! AS YOU'RE LIFEMATE, I ASK YOU TO STOP!"

Tali did just that, turning around to look Shepard in the eyes. There was a glimmer in her eyes, they had expanded. She was smiling. "Please Tali, think about what you're doing. Why are you attacking us?" He could see hesitation in her stance, she wasn't doing this by choice. She'd seen this kind of hesitation before.  _Impossible...not my Tali...but how?_

"I guess I..." she stopped, shaking her head. What was once recognition in her eyes was once again replaced by hatred. His suspicions confirmed, he knew there was only one thing he could do. He didn't want this, and he'd live with it the rest of his life. He would probably kill himself for it. He raised his pistol, reciting the words he had heard spoken so much by all quarians.

"May you find warmth in the embrace of the Ancestors, Keelah Se'lai. I love you." He closed his eyes and pulled the trigger. He heard the bang and then his eyes shot back open as he collapsed into the ground, Tali once again back on top of him. Shotgun in his head.

But she didn't pull the trigger, she just got back up, holstering the weapon. "I'll let you live this time Shepard. But call me you're lifemate again, and I will kill you without hesitation. Quarians don't bond to human filth such as yours, thought you should know that." With that, she disappeared into her cloak again and ran off.

He got up and after reassuring Garrus he was fine, went after Tali. Seeing her exit cloak at the stairs, he saw a shuttle.  _Blue Suns._ "STTTTTTTTOOOOOPPPPPP!" He ran after them, pistol blazing. Tali just turned and waved, "Goodbye  _Hagrr'hizs_." She smiled as the door closed and the shuttle shot out of the station.

"Joker, we have a Blue Suns shuttle, engage it!" Garrus forced his arm down, "Normandy's docked, it'd be too late to catch them. She's gone." Garrus said with a finality that was obviously that of reluctance.

"Joker...belay that order. Were...returning" he said sadly.  _Poor Tali, she doesn't even remember me. How can I fight an enemy that I love so much? And Vido is in control? But I'm sure he was dead. He'll pay for what he's done to her._

It was a very quiet walk back to the elevator as the squad left for the Normandy.

...

"She attacked you? Are you serious?" Joker asked, outright confused.  _Tali basically saw Shepard as a fragile collector's item. She'd do everything, no matter how crazy, to protect him. Why would she attack him all of sudden?_ Shepard shook his head, not wanting to answer. He let Garrus direct the meeting, he was too deep in thought to be bothered talking.

"Yes, she wasn't acting normally. Either the Blue Suns are using a controlling method or she's betrayed us." Everyone gave Garrus a loathful look when he said that. "I can't believe you Garrus. You of all people should know that Tali would never betray us. If you're saying that, then you've abandoned her already." Jacob stated.

"Don't you dare judge my relationship with Tali. She is one of my best friends, she's like a little sister to me, I was just using it as a second option. I'm positive it's number one, but until I'm sure, we don't know" he stated. Kal added, "Besides, Lifemates are bound by bond, they would never attack their bondmate, they could never do such a thing. Only through control implants could they ever attack their own mate."

Everyone nodded in agreement. "So what does anyone else think?" Everyone stayed silent. They all looked at Shepard. By his look, he knew something and was too horrified to talk about it. He saw this and knew there was no point in not telling them. He hated it, but it was the only viable theory that actually made sense.  _Even though it should be impossible._

He cleared his throat and spoke up, "She's indoctrinated. By Vido and the Blue Suns." Everyone's eyes widened in shock. They all knew this couldn't be possible. The Reapers are gone, there is no way this could be happening to Tali. "What? That's a serious claim Shepard. The Reapers are destroyed, how could she..." Shepard looked up, "I've seen alot of indoctrinated people, and the way she was standing...looking at me...there's no doubt, she's indoctrinated. And...I've lost her."

He felt tears begin to form, but kept them back, for his team's sake. But Garrus noticed, and he put a supportive hand on his shoulder, "We'll save her Shepard, we just need to figure out how." Shepard wanted to believe him, but he knew it was impossible. The only way to be saved from indoctrination was suicide or eventual death.  _No...I won't give up on Tali. I refuse._

"Very well, any ideas on how we save her? First off, where she might be. Now that Vido is back, she's going to be alot harder to find, we all know how he loves to hide." He was really talking to Zaeed, but everyone got his meaning. Zaeed saw his glance and nodded, "I'll save Tali because she's you're lover, and anyone who befriends you is a friend of mine. Besides, It's time I put a second bullet in that asshole's smug face. The Blue Suns are mine, and will be forever mine."

Shepard nodded, "Dismissed." Everyone left the War Room slowly, but Shepard lingered behind, lost in his thoughts.  _How did Vido get his hands on a Indoctrination device. That is the only logical conclusion, he has his greedy little hands on one. But why Tali, why of all people..._  Then he saw it. He was so stupid not to see it before. Vido was using Tali to get to him, to lure him in.

"Ah captain, someone would like to see us in the CIC. She hasn't explained who she is, only just received the message. Says she might be able to help" Samantha reported. Shepard nodded and told her he was headed up.  _Anyone who could help find and save Tali is welcomed._ He waited for the decontamination cycle to end as he walked into CIC. He continued up the steps as he saw Joker, chair facing him, giving him a odd look.

He stood up. "Don't know what's going on Captain, but apparently I'd better come too." With that, Shepard and Joker walked out the airlock and back into the docks. "Mrs. Anonymous should be here...now." Joker said as the elevator stopped and the door slid open. Joker and Shepard's mouth dropped open, as they saw the woman approach.

"Captain Shepard, Jeff, it is good to be home...and alive."

Shepard was still to shocked to speak, but Joker was the first to speak up. He simply said, "EDI?"

...

"Excellent. So Darner Vosque is now terminated?" Vido stated as he looked at the latest edition to his merc army. "Yes, he is laying in a pool of his own blood. I also had an encounter with that  _tilgrap_ , Shepard." Vido stopped. He looked back at Tali, as his gaze had drifted to his prized mantis gunship.

"And what did you do?" This was it. What happened next would determine whether she was loyal or not. Tali looked at him, not even hesitating "He touched me...fucking pervert. I dealt with him, he kept calling me his lifemate, his  _Saera._ Manipulation, that's all. I let him live, for now. Next time, he won't be so lucky."

Vido smiled, yes loyal indeed. Shepard had tried reaching through to her and failed.  _Even a bond can be broken with the right stuff._ "Very good, Ms. Zorah, now you may leave. I'll assign you to help with engineering a little project for me." With that, he accessed his omnitool and uploaded the files to hers. "Have fun." She nodded and left the room, looking at the file.

Oh this would be fun she said. Shepard's words still echoed in her mind.  _May you find warmth in the embrace of the Ancestors, Keelah Se'lai. I love you._ A human trying to get my attention. He must think we quarians are all like the asari, just for pleasure and little else. Bosh'tets. But something about his words had made her have temporary deja vu, as if remembering something.

Most likely nothing, Shepard's manipulation would not work. She reopened her omnitool and reaccessed the files. Vido's project looked interesting, she looked forward to beginning its construction.

 **Saera:** Term used when speaking to ones lifemate. Literal translation: My souls soul. Other meanings include, but are not limited to: Keeper of my soul and My souls protector. Most commonly used word throughout the fleet by a quarian when speaking privately to their lifemate. Though unconfirmed by any quarian, there are implications that this word holds extreme intimacy as well as absolute trust. No single human word or phrase encompassed all that this one short word implies as it appears to contain both dominance and submissive traits.

 **Ba'iz Cexz il'alin:** Term of endearment. Literal translation: You are the soul of my soul. Humans would express the sentiment this phrase implies by saying 'You are the center of my world.' or 'Without you, I am nothing.'

 **Hagrr'hizs:** Term used to refer to the intellectually challenged. Literal translation: Forever Children. Mentally retarded or damaged people of the quarian race. Though infrequent, more of these special needs children have been born lately.

 **Bosh'tet:** Thought by many non-quarians to be the quarian equivalent of "son of a bitch" or "bastard." Surprisingly, it is actually the name of a animal native to Rannoch, similiar to Earth rats. It is a rodent to lives my scavenging, but has a very low intelligence, is quite irritating and lazy. It eats the excrement of other animals, using what's let of it as a home and the undigested bits as sustenance. It will eat any dung, even its own. It will defend its dung pile at any cost, even its own kind, and has been known to fight to the death. Quarians used it as a curse word for people who are being stupid, unresponsive, irritating or fighting for a worthless cause or reason.

 **Tilgrap:** Large herbivore, native to Rannoch. Tilgrap, alpha female of the pack. Tilgra refers to the other members of the pack, both male and female. Moving in packs, the tilgrap uses snarling, huffing and shear mass to force the pack to move where she decided to lead them.

**EDI is back people. You're probably thinking 'first Legion, now EDI? What other miracles can he make?' Well, only so not to burst you're bubble before forming ideas, Mordin and Thane, I hate to say it this way, will be staying dead, as will Anderson, Illusive Man and Harbinger. No annoying godchild (aka Catalyst) either.**

**The Mass Effect 3 Omega DLC has been confirmed to be being released November 27 for Xbox 360 and a day later for PS3. It will be the most ambitious and expensive DLC for ME3 yet, it will cost 1200 microsoft points ($15 in real time money) and will feature Aria as a squadmate. If you read the four comics called 'Mass Effect: Invasion' (if not its about Aria and how the Eclipse, Blue Suns and Blood Pack turn on each other and eventually Cerberus, lead by Petrovsky invades Omega and takes it from Aria), then you will be happy to know Petrovsky will be returning as a main antagonist and a whole list of other things such as Female Turians, new weapons, a new 'Priority: Omega' mission and a whole lot more will be released. New outfits for you're characters are also rumored.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed (you know what I mean...) this chapter and Chapter 11 will be out soon. Keep to tabs on Tali's status, cause Shepard is on a mission. And he ain't going to forfeit. What info does EDI have on Tali that could help anyway?**


	12. Saera

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Normandy crew prepares a plan to capture and free Tali. Dav inserts himself into Tali's life as her new "lifemate". A mysterious, yet familiar, figure makes moves.

_**Saera** _

"Damn EDI, I can't believe it's actually you. I mean, all you. How are you even still alive? First Legion, now you?" Joker was happy beyond belief. He had EDI back, and he would never let her leave him again. Never, as long as he lived, EDI would live.

"It was...easy. My core programming was mostly destroyed, but my memories some how escaped the attack. It is still unknown how I survived, but engineers found this and I was reconstructed. I am me again Jeff" Joker smiled, turning back to the control console. "And its good to have you back. Where's Shepard?"  _Probably in his Cabin either crying his head off, tearing the place apart in anger or deep in thought. Damn, I just got EDI back, but his wife got indoctrinated and turned against him. Damn Vido, Damn the Blue Suns._

"He is in the War Room...talking with Admiral Raan. She is...less than pleased. I am sorry Jeff, Tali is a good friend to me and I will do everything in my power to find her. But once we have, we must think of a merciful killing." Joker just turned to EDI with a shocked look, "Were trying to save Tali, not kill her!" EDI nodded, "Yes, but now that we know she's indoctrinated, there is no helping her. Indoctrination is inpenetrable, I'm sorry, but only her death can break Vido's hold."

 _Damn, Shepard must be finding it real hard to tell Raan. She must be losing it._ Before he could continue those thoughts, Shepard's voice came over the comm, "Joker, take us to Rannoch, full speed."  _Rannoch?_ Before he could ask, Shepard answered his unspoken question, "The Admirals want Legion returned so he can help with reconstruction. Legion wishes to help us, but he understands the Admiral's need."

 _Quarian assholes. Care about rebuilding and nothing else. Wander if Raan even cares about Tali anymore._ "Aye aye Captain. ETA to Rannoch, 4 hours."

...

"What!?" Raan was less than pleased, she was distressed. Her Tali, kidnapped by Blue Suns. This was Shepard's fault. "You let them take her! She trusted you!"  _Keelah, should have kept my mouth shut._

This set Shepard loose, "HOW...DARE...YOU! SHE IS  **MY** LIFEMATE! I PROTECT HER WITH MY LIFE! I WAS KNOCKED OUT! WHAT WAS I SUPPOSE TO DO? I'M NOT A DEMIGOD!" Raan realized that Shepard had been helpless and apologized, "I'm so sorry...I didn't mean to..." Shepard continued, ignoring Raan's little stunt.

"Now they've indoctrinated her." Raan was sure she was going to faint. First abducted, now brainwashed? "She doesn't remember me what's so ever, and calling her my lifemate might as well been insulting her, well, she sees it that way anway." Raan was very distraught. Her little Tali, the child she'd seen help conquer Saren on the Citadel, grow up on the fleet alongside Kal, destroy the Collectors and the Reapers, was now gone. Indoctrinated by a group of mercs.

"Do what is needed to end Tali's new existence. End her pain, as her lifemate, you're the only one who can do this." Shepard was surprised by these words.  _First Hackett, now Raan? Is everyone giving up on Tali?_ "Auntie Raan, please. Don't give up on Tali yet, there is still time to save her. I don't care if I carry her here kicking and screaming, but we will save her. I promise." Raan shook her head, "I'm sorry John, but indoctrination is a tough nut to break. You may have done the impossible before, but working wonders like this one is impossible. We'd like you to return Legion to us, he needs to help with reconstruction efforts."

Shepard sighed, "You may have given up on her, but I won't. Were heading for Rannoch now, I'll have Joker plot a course. Keelah Se'lai." He then watched as Shala nodded and her hologram faded into nothing. He stood there, leaning on the front console. He sighed once more, before standing back up and leaving the room, walking into the War Room.

Keying the intercom he spoke clearly, "Joker, take us to Rannoch, full speed. The Admirals want Legion returned so he can help with reconstruction. Legion wishes to help us, but he understands the Admiral's need" he stood there, awaiting Joker's response. It came almost immediately. Once done he called for a meeting of the crew.

He didn't care what it took, but he would save Tali. He would pool every resource available, go deep into research on indoctrination, even ponder the Leviathans if nessacary. But he wasn't going to let Tali down. She needed him, her body didn't, but deep down, he knew Tali was in there somewhere, kicking and screaming at her prison.

...

As everyone entered the War Room, it went all silent. Everyone circled the table preparing for the briefing. Garrus watched Shepard closely as he descended the steps. Shepard was hard to read sometimes, but this time was completely different. He could see the look of distress, sadness and anger in Shepard's facial outlines.

He took his usual position on Shepard's left. Shepard's right stood empty, a testament to a crew member they'd lost, and was never coming back. They either killed her or let her live to kill more people. Saving her was impossible. Finally, as everyone finished moving, Shepard began to speak, "As you know, a day ago, Tali'Shepard vas Normandy was abducted by the Blue Suns, lead by Vido Santiago, thought dead during the raid on his base on the Asteriod, Tavik II." Everyone nodded, sadly.

"She was one of my most loyal friends, she was there alongside me and Liara as we defeated Saren and Sovereign, as we destroyed the Collectors, as we defeated the Reapers. She was this ship's chief engineer, XO and to most of you, a friend." Ashley nodded.

"But to me, she was...more than that. The day I admitted my feelings for her was the proudest day of my life. I'd hit gold. We'd been fighting ever since. Our bonding ceremony, the Bravaert assault, the return to Rannoch, making peace between the geth and the quarians, making a temporary world for them on Aeia, uniting them and much more. We did that together, as lifemates. My whole life I'd spent in the Alliance doing nothing but killing. Then I met her. And everything changed. Now, I owe her my life. But."

Everyone had followed Shepard's words until his last one. Now they all looked up at him. Chakwas was on the verge of crying and Lana just held Kal close, crying silently into his chest. Shepard looked around the room before continuing, "These Blue Suns assholes have dared to take her away from me, to demoralize me, to weaken me. Vido has crossed a very dangerous line." Zaeed nodded in agreement.

"Now he dares to take the love of my life and turn her against me, to indoctrinate, turn her into a mindless monster. The Tali I know is sweet, loving, caring, strong, confident. She is the symbol of what the quarian race is made of. This abomination, this indoctrinated Tali, is not the woman I love, not the woman you befriended."

"No, this woman is NOT Tali." Garrus knew what to expect next, "No, I fight for the Tali that existed, that stood beside me and fought alongside me as we fought, protecting each other from any enemy that faced us. Unfearing. I fight for the Tali that is still in there, and I won't give up on her. I refuse. I can still save her and when I do, I will destroy the abomination that dare's to take her place."

Everyone glanced at each other with doubtful looks. "I'm going to save Tali, and I need you by my side, she needs you. Who's in?" Everyone remained silent for a few precious seconds. Jack spoke up, "Forget it Shepard, she's gone, can't you fucking see that? Have you got you're head stuck so far up you're ass that you're not seeing the real picture?" Shepard looked at her.

Before he could open his mouth, Grunt stepped in, "The fleshie has a point. I may be a krogan, but I ain't stupid. She's too far gone. I'm out." Jack nodded and they both left. Shepard was disappointed in both of them. "Anyone else giving up on her?"

"Unfortunetly, we must face facts. Indoctrination cannot be broken. You yourself witnessed Rila succumb to it. I'm sorry Shepard, but the Justicar's code does not permit me to commit to impossible goals." Samara turned to leave, when Miranda and Jacob stepped in, "We agree. I'm sorry Shepard." They followed Samara up when Shepard's voice halted them, "You too Miranda? I expected more..."

"She's gone okay!? She's not coming back, give it up!"

"FINE! BE THAT WAY! ALL OF YOU COWER IN A HOLE YOU COWARDS! You have not only abandoned me, but abandoned Tali. She was depending on you, and you've betrayed her. You should all feel ashamed, you two," he pointed to Kal and Lana, "Should know how I feel, and you," pointing to Garrus, "She's like a little sister to you, and you've abandoned her and finally, you" pointing to Liara, "She was you're friend, she trusted you, and now you've betrayed that trust. All left her to her prison."

He was so angry. Everyone looked at him in disbelief, even Legion was shocked. Miranda, Samara and Jacob had stopped in their tracks. "You can all run away if you want and admit defeat. You fought against impossible odds at the Collector Base, they said it was a suicide mission, but we all came out alive! And what about uniting the Geth and Quarians? Curing the Genophage? Allying with the Rachni? Liberating the Leviathans? They called that impossible, but we did it! The Reapers are not here either!"

"Tali is no different. We can still save her, its just a truth you're all refusing to see. You've abandoned her out of you're own self-doubt and unwillingness to help..." tears welled up in his eyes, "You felt like family to me, and to her. Even Raan has given up hope. But she's my lifemate, and to have you guys abandon her like this, it hurts. I'm disappointed in all of you. Every last one of you. You should feel ashamed of yourselves, but noone's stopping you from running away."

With that, Shepard pushed past Garrus, through Kal and Lana and past Samara, Jacob and Miranda and out of the room. He hated them so much, he thought he'd never think it. He just rounded the corner, ignored the decon unit, and entered the elevator, heading up to his cabin. When the elevator began to ascend, he punched the console.  _How could they. How could they do this to me. I feel betrayed, damn you Vido. Damn the Blue Suns. Just one more day and me and Tali could of been on Rannoch, none of this would have happened._

As the door opened, he stormed straight into his cabin, sitting on the sofa. He wanted to cry, but to do so would be a sigh of weakness. He needed to save Tali, and sitting here moping wouldn't help. He heard EDI trying to contact him, but ignored her. Even EDI had betrayed her and Tali. Joker as well. He felt alone, noone to help him, not even Garrus.

 _I wish you were here Tali. You'd have something to say, wouldn't you? Damn it, I miss you."_ He went to have a shower but stopped as the door to his cabin opened. Garrus stepped in, looking straight at him. Without thinking, he said, "What do you want Garrus. And don't bother apologizing to me, apologize to Tali. She's the one who deserves it. You abandoned both of us, we depended on you."

Garrus didn't know what to say, but now was it. "Shepard, John..." Shepard looked up at him, "Only Tali and Raan get to call me that, no, only Tali. Shala betrayed her as well." Garrus was irritated now, he was acting like a child, "I'VE COME TO HELP! I want to help Tali if you let me finish." Shepard let his tone tune down.

"I'm sorry, I...I'm sorry." He sat on his desk, arms crossed. Garrus tried to lighten the mood, "So what's the plan? Find the Blue Suns base and place a bullet squarely in Vido's head? Raid his base and just take her back?" Shepard smiled, "Both." Garrus smiled, "I like the sound of that."

The door opened again as Liara stepped in, followed by Kal and Lana. "Were in too. Tali needs us, were not giving up on her" Liara stated firmly. Kal and Lana nodded, "Anyone who wants Tali will have to deal with us, I'm not letting my sister die a monster." He looked at Lana, who nodded in agreement. Next, EDI stepped in.

"I'm sorry about what I said to you guys, it was over the line. You didn't deserve any of that" Shepard apologized, everyone just shook their heads. "You're a distraught lifemate, I wasn't expecting you to be blissful about it. Ancestors help you, I think you're more quarian then you care to like" Kal said, trying to lighten the moment with humor.

Shepard laughed, "Yeah, I'd probably be the worst, as I can barely pronounce most of you're language." They all just laughed, then Liara stepped in. "I see it's time we made a move. Unleash that angry lifemate within you. Show the Blue Suns who their fucking with." Shepard was taken aback. Not by her words of support, but by her use of a curse word. He never knew Liara had it in her.

"Show them that trying to destroy a bond with indoctrination is doomed to failure and let the Ancestors guide you're arm as you slay them" Kal said proudly, Lana added, "And may they forever protect the both of you. Tali is still in there, we just need to reach her, make here realize she's trapped."

"How? She doesn't even remember me." Everyone smiled, Liara stepped in, "That's why we make her remember. We have to trigger events that will 'reboot' her memory. Something like..." Shepard looked up in recognition, "...a photo!" Everyone looked at him. Accessing his omnitool, he brought up the picture of them. "Its not only proof of our bond, but its guaranteed to trigger a memory gland."

"Excellent! Now we just need to find the Blue Suns main base" Garrus stated. EDI answered almost immediately, "I may be able to help with that." Everyone turned to EDI in anticipation as they listened to her explain.

...

"Good morning Commander! You'll see that you're console is in tip top shape" Beatrice stated. The quarian looked her up and down with a distasteful look. Fucking bitch, when she stopped being Vido's prized toy, she would kill this quarian herself, but there would be time for that later.

Turning to her console, the quarian responded, "It had better be. If not, you're head will be served on a plate to hang above my sleeping mat. Now leave, I have work to do and you useless mercs will just get in the way." Now she  _really_ hated this quarian. Not only was she being ordered around by one, but she was treated  _her_ like dirt?

Beatrice just saluted and left. Tali shook her head as she watched the merc leave.  _Why mercs think they are qualified to run a engineering facility is beyond me. I'll have a talk with Vido about that. Yes, indeed._ She turned to her console and indeed found it to be up to standards.  _Not bad for a human._

She began running diagnostics, if Vido's little project was going to work, it would need alot of resources. Resources she knew could only be obtained from a quarian ship, and there is only one ship she knew could fit that use.  _The Tonbay._ She smiled. She would tell Vido about her plans later, but either he said so or not, she would have that ship. Knowing Mercs, he would allow it anyway if not for the credits in selling it.

 _And once his little project is finished, he'll be rich in credits once he can mass-produce it and sell it to the right security industries, and even Eclipse might take a peek at it._ She continued running diagnostics just as someone entered in from next to her. She ignored them but then felt them standing right next to her. Sighing she said, "Well, do you have something to say or did you just come to watch me. I'll kill you if that's the case."

Then the next bit shocked her, "Ba'iz Cexz il'alin, I'll always watch you, why would you kill me for it?" Looking up, she sees a male quarian, his red realk indicating he was a marine or protector. She was confused by what he said, "Finally a fellow quarian, these humans, batarians and turians are really annoying. But, do I know you?" This quarian male was calling to her as if he was her lifemate. But she'd never met him before.

"Don't you remember me? Its me, Dav'Sarve vas Nedas. I'm you're lifemate. Don't tell me you forgot" Dav said. Vido had hired the exiled quarian to play as Tali's lifemate so as to stop any possibility of Shepard actually getting control of her. "I'm never met you my entire life." Dav knew what to do next, "Damn, must be that bump you took to the head. Amnesia most likely. Well I know I love you, even if you don't remember you're love for me." Vido had chosen well picking him, he was great at this acting position, he had used it to stage theft, murder and kidnapping all over the galaxy. Of course, it hadn't fooled the Admiralty Board, who exiled him.

"Must be. So...jog my memory." Tali said, turning around and tapping her visor with his. She then welcomed his embrace. Dav smiled. It had worked, with Tali manipulated, Shepard could do nothing to save her. Her absorption into the Blue Suns ranks complete. "I'll let you work, but remember, my quarters,  _our_ quarters, is up on level 3. I'll be waiting for you." Dav said, turning to leave.

Tali smiled and waved back, "I'll see you later." Dav then left through the door. Tali turned back to her console, " _Saera."_

...

The docking bays dropped as Shepard, Garrus, Legion and Lana dropped down onto the plains of Rannoch, just outside  _Unastali._ He watched as Shala and Garu approached them, followed by the familiar form of Veetor and Elan. Before he could open his mouth to greet the both of them, Veetor spoke up. "Tali's indoctrinated!?"

Elan did the equivalent of a human facepalm (a 'maskpalm' or 'visorpalm') holding her mask in her hands as everyone just stood in shock. "Yes, she is. But I haven't given up on her, and I don't care what anyone says. I'm going to help her with all the power I can muster, even," turning to Shala, "though her own auntie has abandoned her."

"Hey! Shala has done..." Garu said, rushing to the defense of his lifemate. Shala put out her hand to silence him. He did so as she spoke, "Captain Shepard is right, I abandoned Tali because I knew it was impossible to save her." Shepard shook his head. She smiled, "But to hell with impossible."

She then climbed onboard and saluted him, "Permission to join you're crew, Captain Shepard." To say Shepard was shocked would understate his disbelief. Even Garu was shocked, "Shala, you're leaving? Why didn't you tell me?" Veetor and Elan just hung in the background, talking to each other.

"I'm sorry Garu, but I cannot leave Tali alone in a time of need. I made a mistake abandoning her once, now I must fix that." She turned back to John, awaiting his reply. Garu stepped up next to her, taking her hand in his, and looking into her eyes, "You go, I go." Shala smiled and looked back at John.

"Very well, although don't expect me to make a portable home 2.0. However, I think I can arrange for the shuttle to be converted into a temporary home." He said. Another 2 quarians to add to the crew. Shala and Garu nodded and walked inside. Legion walked down the ramp and off onto the ground, but not before looking back and saying, "Shepard-Captain, we are once again sorry for the sudden departure. I will send you any information on Tali's wherabouts if I find out. Take care Captain." Legion said as the Normandy began to take off, door closing.

Veetor and Elan held each other's hands as the Normandy elevated and shot away from the ground into the atmosphere. They then walked with Legion back into the city.

"So, now we have 2 more people to add to the cause." Shepard whispered, but Garu had heard him, and he stopped. Shala noticed this and was about to ask him what was wrong when Shepard noticed Garu's glance. "Before you ask, the majority of the crew has given up on Tali. The people you see are the only devoted ones. That and Kal, EDI and Liara. You two puts us on a 8 man team now."

Shala nodded, "Indoctrination will be tough to overcome but if anyone can do it John, it's you." Shepard nodded, "I'll be in the War Room with Garrus if anyone needs anything. Formulating a plan. Joker, keep me posted on any activity out of the usual."

"Where are we to go?" Joker asked. Shepard just shrugged, "Stay in the Tikkun System for now, but when I give the order you follow it, understood. I don't care if you've given up on..." Joker disconnected. Asshole. Even Joker, a guy he'd come to trust, had also abandoned him...and Tali.

The 5 of them entered the elevator and Shala and Garu exited on the Crew Deck. Shepard was about to press the button for Deck 2 when he saw the memorial wall. "You go on ahead Garrus, I'll meet you there." Shepard stepped out and he heard the door close behind him. He approached the wall.

EDI and Legion's names had been removed from the wall, as was his removed from being above Anderson's name. But the name that now rested just above Anderson's name, made him tear up.  _Tali'Shepard vas Normandy._ He wanted to rip the name out of the wall and throw it out the airlock. The whole ship was declaring her a lost cause.

 _I command a ship packed to the brim of doubters. I will show them, oh yes, when Tali comes back onboard safe and sound, then I'll give them all a lesson on friendship and faith._ He picked up the name and gently took it off the wall.  _No name until I have a body. But there won't be one._ He was about to take it to his cabin, when someone called out behind him.

"Hey! Put that...oh, Captain!" It was Gabby. Shepard saluted her. "Daniels, put what back?" She gulped, "Forget it. I..." He stepped in her way before she could continue. "Put what back?" Seeing no escape she just spoke up, "Put Tali's name back. I thought some stupid asshole crewmember was going to ruin Tali's memory by playing with her nameplate. I really am going to miss her. Damn it, I already am."

"She's not gone. Were going to save her." Shepard said. Come on Gabby, not let me down. Gabby's face lit up. "Really!? I'll help. I'll tell Ken, he'll want to know." She raced back into the mess hall. Shepard smiled as he reentered the elevator.  _Make that 10._ The door closed and ascended to Deck 2. Shepard was feeling evilly, yet blissfully happy right now.

_You better watch out, you better not run. Better not kill, I'm telling you why. Captain Shepard is coming...for you. He's making a list, and checking it thrice; gonna find out who's hurt Tali or not, Captain Shepard is coming...for you._

He felt evil, but yet felt like he was calculating Vido's fate at the same time. He was laughing inside.  _Liara was right, Vido has underestimated a very powerful and pissed off lifemate._ As soon as the door opened, he headed straight for the War Room.  _He hates you quite alot. He knows when you're awake. He knows if you've hurt her or not! So kill yourself for goodness sake! Oh, you better watch out! You better not run. Better not kill, I'm telling you why:_

_Captain Shepard is coming...for you._

_Captain Shepard is coming...for you!_

...

An unknown figure watched as the giant vessel called the "Normandy" took off. He watched it glide into the atmosphere as a familiar feminine voice spoke into his headset, "You want to actually help that guy?" The figure nodded, "I can help. I don't care if you think he's the enemy or not. Besides, more time to kill some aliens."

"Damn, I knew you were an idiot, but this is risky. You really want to try this? I'll assist in any way possible. That's if you're ready to do what you do best." The figure smiled behind his helmet, then made sure his assault rifle was ready and loaded. Time to inquire into this "John Shepard" guy, difinitely human by the name, so no aliens to worry about.

"Like you said, I'm not here to kill anyone, just to push a little information out of them. That's all. Their called "quarians" aren't they? Weird name for an alien species." The feminine voice ignored that last comment and stated clearly, "Alot of the species you encounter have weird names."

"Good point, you got a tracer on the Normandy?" Hearing a "check" beep coming from his helmet, he nodded. "Then we question a few locals, find a ship to stowaway on, and then follow the Normandy until we meet up with Shepard."

"Good idea, I've found a ship called the Tonbay. It should suit our needs." The unknown figure nodded and then smiled, "Let's do this." He jumped off the cliff face and landed below just as the voice asked, "Which ones we going to ask? Surely high ranking officials would be our best bet."

"I don't know Cortana, maybe we start with these admirals." The figure we all know and love called Master Chief ran down the rock and towards  _Unastali._ Things just got alot more interesting.

 **Ba'iz Cexz il'alin:** Term of endearment. Literal translation: You are the soul of my soul. Humans would express the sentiment this phrase implies by saying 'You are the center of my world.' or 'Without you, I am nothing.'

 **Saera:** Term used when speaking to ones lifemate. Literal translation: My souls soul. Other meanings include, but are not limited to: Keeper of my soul and My souls protector. Most commonly used word throughout the fleet by a quarian when speaking privately to their lifemate. Though unconfirmed by any quarian, there are implications that this word holds extreme intimacy as well as absolute trust. No single human word or phrase encompassed all that this one short word implies as it appears to contain both dominance and submissive traits.

 **Unastali:** Literal Translation: Tali's Courage

**Think I'm going to far with adding Master Chief and Cortana? Post you're thoughts in the review section. I think it would be interesting to see how Shepard works them. I thought so anyway. I got the inspiration from a fanfic called "Shepard's Choice" where one of the characters was called Rosa and she was a descendant to Ezio Auditore, the main character of many Assassin's Creed games. It was an obvious reference. So I thought, why not make my own reference to a game I ALSO love?**

**And to address the whole "oh I got deja vu from this story" phenomenon, I'd like to say that it is by the Mass Effect Aftermath fanfic by Terrorize (I think that was his/her name) 2. I will be taking my own approach to the indoctrinated Tali and 3. You're comments are appreciated. If you detect anything that might be too related to that fanfic, do warn me and I will take the chapter down to edit it. I don't want to be reprimanded by fanfiction for it.**

**Thanks :)**


	13. War Hound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shepard misses Tali. Dav solidifes his hold on Tali. Tali leads the Blue Suns in a new assault.

_**War Hound** _

"John, we really should reconsider this. I don't think the quarians will welcome a giant hulking human in augmented MJOLNIR coming up to them and asking them questions." Cortana stated clearly. She really didn't like this. John had been asleep, but when the Dawn fell through an unknown anomaly and ended up on this world, she was worried. Why had they been brought to this world?

"Relax Cortana, I've got this. You two, yeah you." John stomped towards two quarians, one female and one male who were quietly holding hands but were now far apart as they saw the Spartan-II supersoldier hulk on over, Assault and Rocket Launcher on his back. "Do you know where the Normandy went?"

They looked at each other and nodded, the male spoke up first, "Yes...but I'm not telling you human. How did you even get on Rannoch! I will not betray Shepard to some merc!" John frowned.  _Merc? Mercedes? What damage could a car do to an alien?_ "You're afraid of cars?" The quarian just stood there, "What's a car?" Cortana sighed, this is going nowhere.

"A car, like a mobile vehicle. You know, actually forget it. I'm an ally of a John Shepard." These quarians reminded him of Unggoy, cowardly morons. "Prove it, who are you?" the female added. Taking a deep breath, he started. "I'm Spartan-II John-117, Supersoldier of the United Nations Space Command, Former Squad Leader of Blue Team, sworn to defend humanity against the Covenant. All aliens will perish." he finished.

"Then you're no ally of Shepard." John was surprised. What? "Why not?" The male spoke up, "One, he doesn't hate aliens. His lifemate is quarian." he stopped and then started again, sadness creeping into his voice, "Two, what is the United Nations Space Command? Only human organizations I know of are the Systems Alliance, Cerberus and the Blue Suns. Three, what's the Covenant?"

"John, were in a different universe. Aliens here are peaceful." John nodded in understanding. No Jiralhanae trying to rip his throat out, no Guilty Spark, no Halos, no honor driven Sangheili trying to kill him. "Thank you, you've been quite...helpful."

The quarians nodded and returned to talking softy to each other.

They watched as the human walked away, seemingly talking to himself, calling himself 'Cortana.' Veetor turned back to Elan, "That human doesn't feel right." Elan nodded, "Don't worry  _inszel,_ Shepard is long gone. That human will never catch up to him. Right now, I think we can do with some alone time, don't you think?"

Veetor nodded, "I'd like that." They held hands as they returned to their apartment.

...

"EDI, we can't just fly around the galaxy checking every individual base. Tali could kill a mass amount of people by that time." Shepard said. This idea EDI had was not helping. Of course, he wasn't expecting the exact location, but he wasn't expecting to search EVERY SINGLE base.

At that moment, Zaeed walked in. "Fuck it. I'm in, but only to kill Vido. Cock sucking bastard needs to learn what death means: it means go down and stay down. Shit, he's almost as bad as you Shepard. Coming back from the dead." Shepard smiled.  _11\. At this rate, the whole crew will be back onboard._

He turned back to EDI, waiting for a response. Shala stood nearby, running through the files on each Blue Suns facility. Garu was down in the Shuttle Bay with Kal lifting crates. "Don't be silly Captain, I do not expect you to search every base. That would be counter productive. What we will do however, is find a Blue Suns vessel, board it, and use it to get to Vido."

"That could work, although the crazy bastard's nearly died once, I bet he'll be paranoid after that." Zaeed added. He had a point, if you had someone out for you're head, especially when you have their loved one, you'd be paranoid too. "That's where we need to use the Normandy. We don't stowaway on it, we take it by force and sneak in masacarading as mercs. Then we get Tali, kill Vido, blow up the base, and leave again."

Zaeed nodded, smiling. "The honor of killing Vido goes to me, don't care what you say. He's mine." Shepard understood. It didn't matter anyway, he wanted to get Tali out of there and he would do anything to accomplish it. Vido was a secondary priority. "Very well, EDI, try and hack into the Blue Suns transmissions, find us a ship. Everyone else except Shala, dismissed."

Lana, Garrus, Liara and Zaeed nodded, and turned to leave. When the door was closed, Shepard turned to Shala, "Anything useful yet? Any info on Tali?" he asked. Shala shook her head, "Nothing. Only thing I can find on her is that she's Vido's second-in-command, his top engineer on a Project: Primordial and that she's done some very bad things."

"Project: Primordial? Care to share some light on that?" He asked. Vido was up to something, and if he had Tali which in his opinion, was the best engineer in the galaxy, working on it, it was very big. "Nothing much, except that it will apparently leave security industries to quote 'drooling over it and throwing away their creds to get it.' If they want it that badly, it can't be good."

 _Nothing good comes from the Blue Suns. Another thing they have in common with Cerberus._ "If you can, find more info. I want you and Lana working on it. If you want me, I'll be in my cabin." EDI saluted but Shala followed him before saying, "John, could I speak with you in you're cabin?" Shepard nodded and they went through decon before entering the elevator. When they reached the top and entered his cabin, Shala spoke.

"How far are you willing to go to save her?" Shepard was surprised by this but said sincerely and proudly, "As much as I need to and more. I will kill anyone who stands in my way, destroy any obstacle and most of all, I'd sacrifice my life to make sure she's okay. Many fall to indoctrination, I intend to make sure she doesn't."

Shala smiled, his confidence was admirable, but it still bothered her, "And what if she refuses to come back? What then?" Shepard took a few minutes to answer this, Shala eagerly awaiting his answer. When he finally answered, his voice was loud and clear, "Then I will knock her out and bring her. If not, I'll drag her kicking and screaming. I'll save her, whether wants rescuing or not."

"That's all I needed to know. Now I shall return to my duties, I will catch you later John." Shepard nodded, "You too Auntie Raan, I'm really going to have to get used to calling you my mother-in-law, you know. Or simply mum. You are Tali's current mother after all." Raan smiled at the thought. She missed Meru, she was such a great friend and mother.

"Well, I think you should stick to Auntie for now. Then we'll talk." She smiled once again and entered the elevator. Once the doors closed, Shepard turned to the shower and proceeded to strip. Once done, he turned it on, letting the hot water run over his skin.  _And I'll have to call Garu Uncle now as well._ He smiled at that thought. A human in a quarian family, who knew.

5 minutes into his shower, he realized even more how much he missed Tali. How they'd take a shower together, holding each other and washing each other as the water washed them. And how usually, they'd join afterwards. He sighed, soon that would happen again. But not on a ship, but in their home.

...

 _Tali...wake up...Tali...Saera. I love you. Wake up. Wake up. WAKE UP._ Wake up she did, Tali shot up through the bedsheets, opening her eyes and sweating heavily. Her stomach hurt beyond belief, she felt nauseous again.  _Why do I always feel sick now._ She held her stomach just as she heard further ruffling of the bedsheets to her right.

Dav sat up next to her. He kissed the side of her head as he then spoke, " _Saera,_ what's wrong?" Tali looked into his eyes and then back at the wall, the bedsheets had fallen so her breasts were clearly visible, but she didn't care. "I...had a dream. A horrible dream. Shepard was in it. He was calling me his  _Saera,_ telling me to wake up. And he started shouting..." She held her head in her hands, rubbing her sore eyes.

 _Why do I keep getting this sense of deja vu. Like I remember something that happened only a few days ago._ A image popped up in her mind and she turned to Dav, frowning, "Does a Bustan hospital mean anything to you?" Dav shook his head.  _Keelah, if she's beginning to ask questions like that. Better warn Vido, he might want to start putting her on medication, make sure the memories stay hidden._ "It's probably nothing,  _inszel._ "

Tali nodded in agreement, she turned to Dav and smiled. Raising her hand to his cheek, she kissed his lips for a second before pulling back, "You're right, it was nothing. Probably telling me that's where Shepard will end up when I'm done with him." Dav smiled back, but for different reasons.  _Damn that was close. Good thing she's gullible and will believe anything. I am playing as her Saera of course._

Finally noticing her breasts, she grabbed the sheet and covered them. Last thing she needed was a merc walking in to see her naked. Last night had been quite...interesting though. "Well, you know we should probably get back to work. I've got a proposition for Vido that he can't pass up." Tali said, referencing to her intention in hijacking the Tonbay.

Dav nodded, "And I've got moronic mercs to lead. I'll be up soon, got 4 hours till my shift." They kissed a final time before Dav lay back in bed and Tali got back up moving to collect her boots. As she was fitting it on, Dav's words fully registered.  _4 hours huh. Vido says I don't have shifts, I can work whenever I like unless its important and he needs me immediately. I've got plenty of time..._

Instead of fitting on her boot, she let it slide back off and seductively walked around the bed to Dav's side. Dav watched her with mischevious eyes.  _What's she up too?_ She spoke up, her voice sultry, "You know, I've got as much as I want to myself, so...," she ran her right hand along his leg, sending shivers up his spine.

She looked in his eyes, seeing their lust.  _Oh you sneaky little..._  "So what?" Dav said, filling in the silence. He grabbed her by the waist, pulling her down on top of him. She smiled, leaned in so close that their foreheads touched before she said softy, "So we can have some fun for 4 hours. If you're fast enough to catch my meaning."

Before he could answer she locked her lips with his and they passionately kissed as the room went silent for 4 whole hours, the only sounds being those of two quarians joined.

...

"Sir, I have an idea on how we can acquire resources for Project: Primordial" Tali said as she stepped into the room. She remembered Dav's words as he headed for the combat area.  _There's more to come._ She smiled. She knew what he meant, and looked forward to it. Although the way he said it made it sound like he had a second intention.

Vido's eyes switched from her still unbuckled strap, to her visor. "Very well, but before you start, you should know that one of you're suit straps is unbuckled" Looking down Tali just restrapped the buckle before looking up and saying, "Sorry sir, got sloppy in putting my suit back on." Vido smiled.  _Looks like Dav's been keeping her busy._

"Uh-huh, now about that proposition?" Tali nodded and placed her datapad on his desk before explaining, "I want to lead a 12 man team to board the Tonbay and take it. Once in control of it, I shall bring it back here and we can disassemble it for usage in you're project."

Vido smiled, he was impressed, Tali was proving to be a real asset to the Blue Suns. "Excellent. You will lead Dav's team, as I can imagine, he'd be the first team you'd pick."  _Of course, I only suggested it to keep her under watch and under my leash. She even hesitates, and Dav will place a bullet firmly through her skull. I can't have her, neither can Shepard._

Tali nodded, "What of any prisoners we recover? The Tonbay's a big ship sir, with alot of children." Vido smiled his typically ugly grin,  _Bah, still a softy I see. No matter._ "Who cares, kill them all. Don't bring back any prisoners. If you run out of ammo, just flush them out the airlock."

Tali's eyes widened, "But their are children..." Vido looked up at her, "Are you disobeying orders? As the badass, untouchable quarian bitch I know become a softy?" Tali thought for a moment.  _I'm nothing like Shepard._ "No prisoners, understood sir. I'll kill the children myself." Vido then realized.  _Shit, Tonbay. That's Shala'Raan's ship. That's bound to bring memories back. But not if..._ "And when you come across Raan, leave Dav to kill her. I'm sure he'll thoroughly enjoy it."

Tali nodded before leaving.  _Killing Children. Why does this feel wrong. I'm a merc, why do I care?_ She proceeded down the stairs to the hangar bay as Vido's voice boomed over the base's comms, "I want Dav's team in the hangar ASAP. Commander Zorah will be leading you on a little mission."

Tali smiled.  _And the Tonbay will be ours._

...

Master Chief was confused. These were aliens, yet their ships looked like something dipped in shit. What he overheard one saying was called a "Dreadnought" or "Liveship" as Cortana said they were originally called, looked like a soccer ball dipped in crap, pulled back out and a stick wedged up it's rear.

"This place looks like a hell hole." He said. This warranted a few hateful glances from the quarians he passed, some looked like they were ready to kill him.  _Let them try._ "John, these quarians had to make do with what they could find for 300 years of exile, we only just got here, he can't immediately assume all aliens will be hostile and have high-tech ships."

She had a point. He hated it when she had a good point. The Tonbay was a really old ship, he was surprised quarians still lived on it, but yet again, it would be a while before all the cities were rebuilt. He continued to wonder around the crowded decks of the Tonbay, getting glances of the quarian's homes, cargo bays, escape pods and even a "cleansing" area.

Everywhere, he caught the attention of men and women alike, and even ran into a few children. It was amazing how the quarians were able to cope with all this stuff, such cramped conditions like this might have sent Johnson crazy.  _Crazy Bastard. At least Spark is dead, traitorious bastard. Even further pity about the Arbiter though._

He stopped as he walked into a mess hall of some sort. Every set of eyes turned on him and he decided to take his leave. "Why exactly are we here Cortana?" He was beginning to wonder why a stationary ship would help track the Normandy. Cortana sighed, "Because...the Tonbay can get us to the Normandy." The spartan rolled his eyes, "How does a unmobile vessel help us?"

"My god, you are thick. We ask the Captain where we can find the Normandy." Chief frowned, "What!? What's he going to know? What we need is our OWN ship to track him down, not a motionless one." Cortana just gave up. "You know John, you can be really annoying some..."

A massive explosion rocked the ship and Chief, following instinct pulled out his assault rifle, levelling it at the source. The ship's port. "Cortana, what the hell just happened!?" Cortana analyzed the data. "A shuttle just placed a charge in the hangar bay and detonated. 4 dead, all female. Quarian protectors are responding, but the boarders are holding fast. According to files, Blue Suns. Our ally's enemy. I count 12 all up, wait, make that 14. 2 Quarians just exited with them, one male and one female. By the way they stand, I'd guess their 'married'."

"Finally some action." Chief rolled into action, following Cortana's instructions as he converged on the hangar bay.

...

"You all know you're assignement, what you have to do. There is no room for failure. You follow my command, but whenever Commander Zorah gives you an order, you follow it. Am I understood?" Dav ordered.

Each merc nodded, fastening their helmets as the shuttle departed the Ontarom. Once fastened, they prepped their weapons. Tali stood in the pilot's cabin and smiled as Dav snuck behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. He moved in close and said clearly, "Mercs are ready. Waiting on you're orders..." he added softy, " _Saera._ " She smiled.

"Good. You know, instead of holding and touching me every 2 seconds, you can prep you're own weapons. There will be plenty of time for touching each other for tonight. And more if you want." She used his hands to twirl around and face him. She slid her hands down her waist and took his hands off hers. She held them for second before tapping his visor and turning back to the pilot.

Dav turned back into the main cabin and collected his shotgun and assault rifle. Checking he had the right amount of clips, he stowed his rifle and lowered his shotgun, shouting at the mercs to hurry up in prepping their weapons.

"Pilot, deploy a suppression charge on that hangar bay door. Blow it open then take us straight in. Deal with any who try to stop us." As she spoke she readied her own claymore, pumping the slot.

The Tonbay quickly came into view, and as they came closer to the Hangar Bay doors, the comms beeped. She ordered the pilot to play it. A female voice came through the speakers, "This is Captain Inno'Sarve vas Tonbay, you are entering quarian airspace. Please state you're business immediately. I don't want to waste my time with Blue Suns."

Dav's voice could be heard, "Sister. She's a sister of mine in Clan Sarve." The female voice came back through the speakers, "Dav? That's you? Then that means..." she cut the link and Tali could see the guns of the ship rearing on them. Pushing the pilot out of the seat, Tali took the shuttle right next to the Tonbay, making use of its cannons impossible.

Placing the suppression charge she waited until they were at a safe distance before detonating it. A whole ripped in the hangar bay, two female quarians being blown into space. She sadisitically smiled as she flew the shuttle through the hole and she saw another two dead females, their bodies covered in shrapnel and debris.

She landed and as soon as the door opened she said "Shoot to kill! Take the ship, don't destroy it, but kill everyone!" Gunfire was heard and she could hear the sounds of dying protectors and civilians. She felt another pain in her stomach as she got up and bowed down, holding her chest.

Dav saw this and stopped, "What's wrong?" Tali was getting sick of these constant pains. What was causing it? She looked up, "I'm fine. Just a little pain in my chest, that's all. It'll clear up." She walked past him and, Claymore out, began killing helpless civilians and protectors. Dav shook his head as he ran out to join her.

Tali spoke loud and in a authoritive voice just as she killed another protector, "Let's catch us a ship!"  _Vido will be very pleased._

...

"Captain Shepard, the Council is contacting us, they know about Tali" EDI informed him. Shepard sighed,  _Great, now I have to deal with loud-mouth, thick politicians. Who am I kidding, they were bound to find out eventually._ "Very Well, transfer it to the comm room..." The next thing he knows, Samantha shouts out as he's leaving.

"Captain! The Tonbay is under attack! It's Tali!" Shepard snapped his head around at the mention of Tali. "Joker, take us to the Tonbay, now! EDI, contact Garrus and Wrex and tell them to meet me in the airlock." He then moved towards the elevator.

"Captain, what of the Council?" EDI asked. "Screw the Council, Tali's more important. They'll probably have nothing but negative insight anyway. Three quarters of my crew abandoning her is enough, I don't need the Council as well." EDI nodded and contacted the designated people.

Shepard smiled as the elevator ascended.  _I can save Tali now and bring her back. Showing her that photo will definitely rejog her memory._ He then gulped.  _I hope._

 **Saera:** Term used when speaking to ones lifemate. Literal translation: My souls soul. Other meanings include, but are not limited to: Keeper of my soul and My souls protector. Most commonly used word throughout the fleet by a quarian when speaking privately to their lifemate. Though unconfirmed by any quarian, there are implications that this word holds extreme intimacy as well as absolute trust. No single human word or phrase encompassed all that this one short word implies as it appears to contain both dominance and submissive traits.

 **Inszel:** Term of status or standing within a social circle. Literal translation: Most trusted confidant and partner. Used to describe the personal relationship of an individual. Implies a deep personal connection. Humans would say girlfriend or boyfriend but these only touch the surface of what it truly means.

**Tali has attacked the Tonbay. With Master Chief onboard, will Shepard get there in time to save her from being killed by the supersoldier? What will be Shepard's reaction to meeting this juggernaut? And how will he convince Tali with just a photo, especially with Dav nearby, pistol ready to kill her?**

**To address the Master Chief issue, I've decided to, due to a majority of the reviews, to make his position temporary. He will not be a permanent character. For those disappointed in this new turn of events, I am truly sorry, but the majority voted against it, and I do listen to my readers. I'm trying to make my story better by losing to you. If I must remove MC and Cortana to do that, so be it. Chief however will stick around for the duration of Tali's indoctrinated lifespan. Which won't be long, trust me...**

**Hope you enjoyed this, Chapter 13 coming out soon. :D**


	14. Universal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The assault on the Tonbay commences, but encounters an unexpected variable.

_**Universal** _

"Dav! Take the left side, give me a firing lane." Tali said as she reloaded her shotgun. Luckily for her, all the children were fleeing, so she didn't have to kill any. She wouldn't tell Vido, but she refused to kill children. People could only be so evil.

"Copy that! Move! Team, lay down suppressing fire!" His mercs leapt out of cover and began hammering the quarian protectors, just as Tali came out, unleashed Chiktikka and then began killing the protectors that were left stunned. One of them tried to grab her and pin her to the ground, but she retaliated by turning around quickly, grabbing his head and snapping it.

Letting his body fall to the ground in a crumbled heap, she picked up her claymore and was about to continue when she saw the rest of the protectors were dead. Now for the Bridge. "Dav, tell you're team to move up. Were heading for the bridge." Then she stopped. No, there were two areas they needed.

"Scratch that, Dav, split you're team in half. Send one to take Engineering and another with us to take the Bridge." Dav shook his head, "The other team will need a leader, I'll go with them." Tali widened her eyes, "Fine, but be careful. Don't get yourself killed." Dav nodded with a excellently faked nod.

When Tali was turned, he turned to one of the members of her team and whispered, "Kill her if she tries to escape" the merc nodded and looked back at Tali as Dav took the other team and headed for engineering. Tali then motioned for the other mercs to follow her. They silently traversed the corridors, heading for the Bridge.

Dav was unhappy with leaving Tali alone, if she tried to defect back to Shepard those mercs wouldn't stand a chance, but final orders don't hurt. Still, he might get there in time to kill her if Shepard does convince her to defect, even though its high inpropable. "It's just this way, down this corridor, then left, then right and down another corridor into engineering. From there, kill all the crew."

The mercs nodded, continuing to follow Dav down the hallway. Just as they turned left, they heard the pitter patter of feet coming from behind them. "Whoever you are, come out so we can see you!" All of them turned to see two small children making a run for it.

A merc stood in front of them, and crouched down. "What should we do with them? Their parents are probably dead." Dav knew his orders. "Kill them, we have no use for them. Do it quickly though." The merc raised a pistol to one child's head and pulled the trigger.

Then there was a clap of a gun going off, but it didn't belong to the merc. The gun was shot out of his hand and next, he fell to the ground dead, his chest covered in hot lead. From next to him, he heard a deep, cold voice, "Hey asshole, you shouldn't have come here. I have low tolerance for people who murder children."

Dav turned right and was looking into the chest of a human, and he was BIG. Giant armor, battered by years of warfare and the numbers "117" sprawled on his chestplate. He looked up and met the monster's gaze, holding an unusual weapon in his hands. "No, you chose wrong Bosh'tet..." Dav then executed a left hook into the soldier's chest.

This hurt his hand alot, and he reeled it back in pain, but the soldier just stood there, unflinched. He chuckled, "Is that the best you've got?" The mercs opened fire, but the shots ricocheted harmlessly off his shields. The soldier then clasped his hand firmly around Dav's visor, and then threw him across the corridor, slamming into a wall.

Turning, Chief then wacked one merc with his rifle, making him double back, allowing him to quickly target a second and pump him full of rounds. Once dead, he turned to the first merc and killed him as well. The other 4 mercs tried to retreat, but Cortana wasn't allowing that. The quarian kids just hid the corner. They looked like they were cheering him on, but they were saying words he couldn't understand.

Ignoring them for now, he turned to see the mercs trying to escape, but the doors had sealed. "Thanks Cortana." Chief then rushed forward and in a few seconds, closed the distance between the mercs and himself. Grabbing one, he pulled him up and dropped him on his knee, snapping his spine. Dropping the lifeless body the other petrified merc had his neck snapped.

The final two mercs gave up and fired their last shots just as Chief pumped them both full of lead before reloading his rifle and holstering it. He turned to the quarian, who just sat on the floor, unmoving, his visor cracked. Turning to the kids, he saw them approaching. "Go, get out of here. Find you're parents, find a place to hide." The kids nodded and ran down to engineering.

"Cortana, you said there was a female quarian too. Where is she?" Cortana took a moment to answer, "Heading for the Bridge, and almost there I should know. I'll open the doors to let you pursue her." Once the doors had opened, he stormed through and ran for the bridge. Dav watched as he goes _, Shepard got an upgrade. Were...fucked._  He then decided to at least warn Tali of incoming company.

...

"The Tonbay isn't responding, the crew is either dead or defending the ship, Captain." Joker stated, he turned to look at Shepard, his face unreadable behind that Death Mask of his. Shepard changed his stance alittle. "Very well, deploy us in the shuttle. Have Cortez meets us down there. And keep the Normandy well within range just in case we need quick evac." Joker nodded and signalled Cortez.

Once in the Shuttle Bay, they entered the shuttle, the initials T'S1 still visible on the shuttle's hull. He let his hand glide over it before entering the shuttle. Cortez was already in the pilot's seat, making his final preflight checks. "Were set and ready to go Captain." Cortez reported. Grunt and Garrus took their standing positions in the middle of the bay, holding onto the roofracks. Once he had done the same, he called back to Cortez.

"Take us out. Use the entrance Tali used." Cortez nodded and the shuttle elevated and then shot out of the Normandy's hangar, the Tonbay easily visible. As was the hole in its hangar. "At least we don't have to look far." Shepard remarked.

Taking the shuttle inside, he saw a Blue Suns shuttle. "Want me to destroy it?" Cortez asked. Shepard nodded and Cortez let off two shots, destroying the parked shuttle. Once he had landed next to the shuttle's wreckage, Cortez killed the thrusters and opened the door.

Shepard, Garrus and Grunt leapt out, weapons at the ready. They then moved up the stairs and out into the nearby corridor, where the bodies of numerous protectors and civilians lay.  _Good, no children. If the Council or Admiralty got wind of that, they'd order Tali's execution._ He continued through the firefight stricken ruins of the corridors.

"EDI, fastest route to the Bridge?" Shepard asked, as Grunt broke through a broken door, seeing nothing but the death stricken mess hall. He came back shaking his head in disappointed, no mercs to kill.

"The one you're taking is the fastest and only way to the Bridge. Quarian ships aren't all that complex." EDI's voice was quickly replaced with Shala's, "Be careful Shepard, we've heard reports of a unknown human on Rannoch looking for you. Be on the lookout, he was last seen on the Tonbay."

 _Great. The Pursuer just became the pursued. But why is Vido looking for me? Is he having second thoughts about indoctrinating Tali?_ He shook these thoughts away as he concentrated on his one goal: getting to Tali. He continued running up ahead, signalling Garrus and Grunt to follow him. They continued to move up, one by one, making sure no mercs got the better of them.

Soon, they reached a area where two merc's bodies lay, and a pool of blood, red, was left in a trail.  _Somone's been injured. Please don't let it be Tali._ He followed the trail as he heard a explosion. "Damn it, hurry!" They broke into a sprint and as they rounded the corner, they found Tali lying on the ground, covered in her own blood, Claymore left skidded five meters away, out of reach. He was on the border of crying at the sight of her.

A mine had been set off, and Tali had been the unlucky one. Luckily, her shields must have been up, as none of her legs were missing. Her suit was torn up though, and he saw a piece of bone jutting up from her right leg. She craddled it, while holding a pistol to the corridor ahead of her.  _Who is trying to kill her?_ All the other mercs lay around her, dead.

Tali fired two shots before looking at Shepard. Hate filled her eyes. "GREAT! A bosh'tet and a human pervert!" Shepard saw a blur as a human in huge armor landed next to her, grabbed her wrist, and twisted. She screamed in pain as he broke her wrist, causing her to lose her grip on the pistol. He grabbed it, crouched and pointed it into her mask. No.

"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HER!" Shepard charged straight towards the human. The human turned and before Shepard could halt his charge, he was picked up and thrown into a wall. His eyes met Tali's, there's that recognition again. But as soon as it appeared, it disappeared again.  _Just what I thought. The old Tali is trying to fight it._

The human moved to turn back but was rammed by Grunt. The human lost his balance, landing on his back. Shepard crawled towards his lifemate. He wanted to help her, she was in so much pain. It was unbearable to look at. Just when Grunt thought he'd won and went to finish the human off, the human leapt back up and they began to wrestle each other.

 _Damn that human is strong. Maybe he killed the mercs. If so, he can't be all that bad, Tali was with them afterall. But that would change._ Turning, "Grunt stop. He's on our side." Grunt stopped wrestling, as did the human. The human asked, his voice cold, "Who are you?" Shepard said as he got up, the pain evident in his spine. Probably bruised.

"Captain John Shepard of the SSV Normandy SR-2. You?" The human nodded and then saluted, "Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 of the United Nations Space Command, Spartan II supersoldier, came to assist sir!" Shala's voice came over the comm, she'd been listening the entire time. "That's the human who's been looking for you on Rannoch."

Chief cut in, "I was just killing these mercs. From what I heard, they are the real enemy, yet you protect one of them?" He said, indicating Tali. He turned to Tali and moved to her side, crouching next to her. "She's been indoctrinated by the Blue Suns. They took her from me and...brainwashed her. Turned her against me. But I will save her, that's my ultimate goal." Tali just looked at him and then at the rest of them before shouting, "LIES! ALL OF IT! Indoctrination? You're more stupid than you look. I don't even know what that is, but I'm not brainwashed. I've given my life to the Blue Suns, plus I have a lifemate, so you can't fool me."

That last bit caught him, his eyes widening, "Lifemate? But Tali, I'm you're Lifemate. Please you have to listen to me..." another voice was heard, and everyone turned to it. "Get away from my lifemate." They saw a quarian male, tall for his species, who looked like he'd been through hell and back.  _Him again. I thought I killed the oxygen thief_ chief thought to himself.

He was hunched over, looking at them with disapproving eyes. He raised his rifle at them. Tali's voice and what she said pained Shepard, "Dav! That's my true lifemate! Kill these bosh'tets! I'll deal with this one!" Before he could react, Shepard felt Tali's arms wrap around his neck and he was pushed back as Tali whispered, "Human...filth."

He the quarian named Dav fire his weapon, which hit Grunt and Garrus in the sides. Grunt chuckled, "that the best you..." Grunt and Garrus just fell to the ground. "NO!" Shepard tried to yell out, all that came out was a choked sound. Then he noticed what Dav was holding, Tranquilizers.

Master Chief saw this and ran towards Dav.  _Not this time human excrement._ Dav strafed to his left, and held out his leg, tripping the human torpedo into the ground, allowing Dav the time to reach Tali and Shepard. Tali released her arms from Shepard but he was immediately lifted by Dav. Damn Quarian strength.

"You touch my lifemate again, and I'll gut you, you human pig." Dav then dropped Shepard, who was too busy getting breath into his lungs, that he was unable to stop Dav, who had Tali's arm wrapped around his shoulders, and his arm at her waist, from running away. He saw Chief getting up, but he was too late as the doors closed.  _No._

He got up just as Garrus and Grunt were waking up and ran down the hallway, the door somehow unlocking itself as Chief ran alongside him. How he was keeping up with Shepard was beyond him until he remembered.  _He's a supersoldier. Almost forgot._

The continued running until Dav and Tali came into sight. Tali turned and saw them coming, her eyes widened, and she reached into Dav's side, pulling out his pistol and firing potshots at them. The shots panged off Shepard's shields, but most missed completely. Tali continued to try and stall them when a massive pain rose in her chest. It was so sudden and intense that she dropped the weapon and screamed. "ARGH!" She clenched her chest, almost ripping at it, she wanted the pain to stop.

Before she could stop herself, she vomited into her visor. The putrid stench was horrible and 2 seconds later, this followed with further vomitting. Dav was getting worried.  _Was the indoctrination killing her? Or was the injury? No, she was clenching her stomach. She seems to be getting pains there alot. Something's wrong._ Dav burst into the hangar bay, only to find their shuttle destroyed, and a "T'S1" sitting there.

"Dav, what do we..." Tali caught a glimpse of the 'T'S1', and once again deja vu hit her.  _She rememebered that name. She'd seen it somewhere, but couldn't place where._ "We'll hijack that one..." before she could finish, the shuttle rose up, facing them. "You won't be hijacking anything today" Cortez stated, preparing the main weapons.  _I'm sorry Tali, I didn't want it to end this way._

At that, Shepard arrived and saw what Cortez was doing. "Cortez NO!" Cortez ignored him and kept prepping the weapons. Shepard then leapt on Dav and Tali, pushing them out of the way just as Cortez fired. The shots hit Chief. His shields deflected them pretty easily.

Shepard got off them and looked Dav and Tali in the eye. Then a Blue Suns shuttle began approaching them. Shepard did what noone expected, "Go." Dav gave him a confused look. "You're not going to kill me for taking you're 'lifemate'? But I thought..."

"Go! Before I regret it!" Dav just moved Tali into the Blue Suns shuttle, which had Cortez tagging it. "Let them go Cortez." Cortez gave him a shocked look, "But sir..." Shepard rolled his eyes, "Don't give me this sir bullshit. We'll be discussing privately about you're attempt to kill Tali. You had orders and disobeyed them." Cortez just landed the shuttle as Grunt and Garrus arrived.

Grunt levelled his weapons, but Shepard put a hand on his shoulder, "let them go." He didn't question him, just lowered his weapon. He caught Tali's eyes as the door closed. A smile.  _Was I imagining it?_ The shuttle then lifted up and then he shook himself out of his daze. "Get into the shuttle. Get us to the Normandy. Pursue that shuttle."

Everyone answered at the same time, "You let them go and now you don't!? Make you're mind up!" Shepard looked at them as they entered the shuttle, "I let them go because Tali was injured. It could only have ended with Dav killing her. Dav's not her lifemate nor does he want to be, he's a pretender."

The doors closed and Cortez lifted the shuttle up and headed directly for the Normandy. Shepard, standing right behind Cortez, gave him a angry look, "Pull a stunt like that again, and I'll pilot for now on." Cortez needed to know why Shepard was going through all this trouble for a quarian and someone who was indoctrinated.

Letting EDI guide the ship, he turned to Shepard. "I was putting her out of her misery! If you actually loved her, you'd have done the same. There is no escaping indoctrination Shepard, there isn't! GIVE UP!" Shepard retaliated in kind, "Could you have done the same to Robert? If he was in Tali's position, could you have done it? Answer me Cortez! Could you have done it! Or would you have tried to save him?"

That got Cortez. He looked down, contemplating what Shepard had said. No, he wouldn't. He couldn't. It was Robert, a person he had loved so much, then taken away by the Collectors. He answered sadly, "No, you're right...I couldn't...I'm so sorry...I..." Cortez stopped as the shuttle landed. Shepard cut in, "We'll discuss this later. Joker, pursue that shuttle. Disable it, then have EDI pull it in. And I swear to god if you try to destroy it..."

"Don't kid yourself Shepard, I'm destroying that shuttle. You have to learn to let her go..." EDI butted in, "If so Jeff, I'll be forced to stop you. I don't want to have to do that, and you won't either." Joker looked at her in surprise, "But you said yourself..." Shepard cut in, "EDI! Disable the shuttle! Obviously Joker has trouble following orders!"

Shepard exited the shuttle, followed by Grunt and Garrus and they raced to the elevator. Just as they entered it, he pressed the button for Deck 2 and watched as the door closed. He was contacted by EDI, "Captain, the shuttle is performing evasive patterns. I will attempt to lock on with the gatlings, but one wrong shot and it will either miss, or destroy the shuttle."

"You can do it EDI, I'll be there soon."  _I wish this fucking elevator would go faster._ When the elevator finally arrived on Deck 2, EDI contacted him again, "Captain, problem." Shepard sighed, "Shoot." EDI responded just as quickly, "That Corsair the Turanga spotted near Luna? It's back. I've found out its called the MSV Ontarom, a converted freighter commanded by Captain Titus. The shuttle just entered it."

 _What was I thinking. Of course the shuttle would come with backup in mind, especially when dealing with a ship such as the Tonbay._ "Switch to Javelin Torpedoes, I want that ship crippled, but not destroyed. Time you're shots. I don't want to use the Thanix unless we absolutely have too."

He finally arrived on the bridge to see the Corsair. It was relatively tiny, the size of the original Normandy SR-1. It would have a crew of 17, plus the mercenaries, Dav and Tali which makes 31. The ship looked relatively lightly armed, with only a few gatling and machine guns located on its hull, and what looked like the obsolete Trojan-Class heat-seeking missiles. No match for the Normandy.

He watched as the ship rocked slightly as 2 Javelin Torpedoes arked towards the Corsair, but the ship thrusted forward so fast, the shots missed. The ship then sped away from the Normandy, quickly entering FTL. "Pursue it! Don't let them get away!" Shepard yelled. Joker sighed and irritated sigh, before moving to pursue. He then stopped. "Captain, they just disappeared." EDI answered Shepard's next question of 'How?' by saying, "Corsairs are stealth vessels Shepard. They come equipped with stealth drives like the Normandy."

"Fuck, so close. Take us back to the Tonbay, call for a meeting of the crew. The faithful," he emphasized the word as he glared at Joker, "crew." EDI nodded, but with a new idea in her head, she turned. "Shepard, maybe they haven't gotten away."

Shepard was turning to leave, as had Garrus. Grunt had left long before. He turned back, looking at EDI with a frown, "They entered FTL and entered stealth mode. We'll never track them through that." EDI shook her head, "You're forgetting something. Windows." EDI pointed at the windows. Shepard felt a smile crawl across his face.

Turning to Joker, he suddenly lost it. "But, we can't see them now. We have no idea where they are headed." EDI shook her head again, "That Corsair doesn't know it, but it doesn't have a Tantalus drive core. That's the key to the stealth drive. The Tantalus keeps the emissions it releases inside pods on the ship's hull, that's how the stealth drive remains hidden from scanners. However, the Ontarom is just a reconfigured freighter, it wasn't meant to be a special operations infiltrating vessel or frontline warship, so the Tantalus was left out. This makes the stealth drive useless, as the emissions that we detect are still released."

"Fine then, follow the emissions. Also, activate our own stealth system. I want to surprise them. Like I said, call that meeting. Were boarding the Ontarom. Time to finish this charade." Shepard said as he doublebacked to the War Room.  _Time to finish this indeed._

...

Dav continued to move Tali towards the ship's infirmary. He felt the ship jerk forward as it entered FTL. Tali was still grunting in pain, still clenching her stomach. "It'll be okay  _Saera,_ the doctor will take a look at you. Is it better?" Tali was in too much pain to answer, her throat was full of mucus and the disgusting mixture of vomit. She vomitted once again, letting that be her answer.

Seeing that she was not, Dav continued to move her to the infirmary. He soon arrived at the doors, entering his code to enter. Inside was a bunch of medical equipment and a table in the middle. Doctor Rifler stood next to it. "Bring her over here and lay her down. We'll soon have this problem sorted out."

He did just that. Moving next to the table, he layed her down. Dav's words to Shepard still rung in Tali's mind. _You're not going to kill me for taking you're 'lifemate'?_ Just what had Dav meant by that? The tone of his voice suggested something. Dav turned to back off, but Tali gripped his hand tight, not wanting him to leave. He decided to stand next to her. She was grunting at the combination of pain she was feeling.

Not only was the pain in her leg almost unbearable, she could see the bone jutting out, which was a sickly sight to see. The pain in her stomach and her constant vomitting wasn't helping either. She'd never felt to sick in her life. She vomitted again, but this time onto Rifler's arm, as he had taken her mask off.

Laying it to her side, he gently wiped the chunks of the sicky yellow substance off with a tissue, before returning to his equipment. He soon returned, holding what looked like a probing device. "So it was her chest you say? What about her leg?" Dav answered for her, "Her chest's been killing her for ages, but only now has it caused her this much pain. Her leg was a additional setback. Damn human super pig. His strength was amazing." Tali agreed, she'd never seen a stronger human. Dav must have had his own run in, hence the absence of his team.

Rifler nodded, moving the probe along her chest. He then pulled back and looked at the readings. Tali only saw it for a second, but she swore she saw his eyes widen to much, his whole eye was visible. He then put it down and proceeded to her leg. "Now, this is going to hurt ALOT." Tali didn't like this. She squeezed Dav's hand even tighter as Rifler put his hands on the bone.

Before she could say anything, Rifler pushed the bone back in, bits of blood spurting out. She screamed like she never had before. She actually preferred her current stomach pain to that. Luckily, the pain was sharp and quick, so it didn't last more than a second. Rifler then went to Dav's side and showed him the probe. Dav's eyes widened further as well.

"One moment,  _Saera._ We shall be back." Dav followed Rifler out of the room, and everything went quiet. Tali looked around the room, wondering just had caused them to be in such shock. She had a million conclusions as to what when Rifler and Dav surprised. Dav looked happy beyond belief and took her hand in his squeezing it tightly.

Rifler wasn't as happy, he just stood there shaking his head. "Commander Zorah, we are relieving you from active duty." Rifler said. Tali opened her eyes to their fully extent.  _Their what?_ "WHY!?" She shouted, but neither Rifler or Dav flinched. Actually, Dav still looked happy. "Because you're...you're...I don't know how to say this but...you're..." Rifler just couln't say it.

Instead, Dav moved in, yelling the words with such bliss and happiness, Tali swore he was crying. The words he said just left Tali in a state of shock and disbelief, looking down at her stomach and feeling it.

"Tali! You're pregnant!"

 **Saera:** Term used when speaking to ones lifemate. Literal translation: My souls soul. Other meanings include, but are not limited to: Keeper of my soul and My souls protector. Most commonly used word throughout the fleet by a quarian when speaking privately to their lifemate. Though unconfirmed by any quarian, there are implications that this word holds extreme intimacy as well as absolute trust. No single human word or phrase encompassed all that this one short word implies as it appears to contain both dominance and submissive traits.

 **Bosh'tet:** Thought by many non-quarians to be the quarian equivalent of "son of a bitch" or "bastard." Surprisingly, it is actually the name of a animal native to Rannoch, similiar to Earth rats. It is a rodent to lives my scavenging, but has a very low intelligence, is quite irritating and lazy. It eats the excrement of other animals, using what's let of it as a home and the undigested bits as sustenance. It will eat any dung, even its own. It will defend its dung pile at any cost, even its own kind, and has been known to fight to the death. Quarians used it as a curse word for people who are being stupid, unresponsive, irritating or fighting for a worthless cause or reason.

**Oh shit. Has Dav gotten Tali pregnant with his child? But why would this cause her to vomit and puke? Why the massive stomach pains? Surely not all quarian females who are pregnant vomit all over the place. What will Shepard do knowing she will conceive a child that belongs to the enemy?**

**Chapter 14 will be delayed until late Sunday. Sorry for the delay, but Saturday and Sunday are a bit hectic, but Sunday is a definite. Of course, I also have to write the script for the machinima I'm doing (which I've been neglecting thanks to this fanfic), a script for Gemco (performing arts) and of course, my infamous pile of Year 8 Science and english homework. However, I'm determined to get Chapter 14 to you. I'll tell you one thing: Chapter 14 will change EVERYTHING. Post you're thoughts on what I mean by 'everything' on the review section.**

**Thanks, and peace to all of you. I leave you with a mass effect quote, which I think I'll all the time now. :)**

**"This isn't about me or you, this is about something so much bigger than all of us!"**


	15. Boarding Action

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shepard launches a counterattack. The Blue Suns and Cerberus aren't getting along.

_**Boarding Action** _

"So let me get this straight. We board the Corsair, take out the crew, kill this Dav asshole and save Tali. Sounds not only easy, but a fun easy" Garrus stated, smiling.  _Of course saving Tali is important, but I'll be able to help Shepard teach this Dav moron a thing or two but messing with someone's wife._ Shepard nodded solemnly, "Precisely. And we kill anyone that gets between us and Tali. Any objections?"

The whole crew sat before him. It had take alot of convincing, hell it had taken all his vocabulary to help, but he'd finally got them to listen. Now they could concentrate on saving Tali and destroying Vido and Dav.  _Tali maybe my main priority, but as soon as I get her out, me and Zaeed will pay that SOB a visit._

Everyone shook their heads, and he looked back at the main computer. After motioning to EDI, a schematic of the Ontarom appeared above the holoprojector. "This ship is about the size of the original normandy, so the crew will be pretty small. I don't expect more than 17, 19 including Dav and Tali. That makes 18 bastards to put to the bullet. Due to Tali's injuries and the extent of them, we'll guess she's held up in the ship's infirmary, here." Pointing his finger, the hologram zoomed in, and they looked upon the ship's infirmary, where a hologram of Tali lay on a holographic bed.

"So far, we have the element of surprise, were right above them and they don't even realize it. We'll need to split into three teams when we board that ship. Team One attacks the infirmary, kills Dav and evacuates Tali while Team Two provides a rear guard. Team Three assaults the bridge, we'll need this ship to infiltrate Vido's base. Understood?" Everyone nodded once again as the hologram disappeared.

"Zaeed, EDI, you're with me. Were Team One. Liara and Javik, you're with Garrus, you're Team Two. Shala, Lana and Garu will go with Kal, you're team three. Now that you've got you're assignments, are their further questions?" Chief and Kal raised their arms. Shepard nodded at Chief, motioning for him to speak first.

"Why the hell ain't I going? You've seen my skills in combat, give me team three and you'll have that bridge in 3 seconds flat." Cortana sighed, he just loves to show off to everyone that he's better than them. Shepard sighed, "I understand that, but I gave Kal the team, I'd explain further but I..." Chief shook his head, "Why are you so desperate for this grunt to lead the team, I..." Lana stepped in, "Call my lifemate that again and I don't care how strong you are, I'll kill you."

Chief turned around and looked at Lana and back at Kal, "Oh, so that's it. You're making Kal leader because his little lover can't stand being away from him. You people are like a bunch of sissies..." That set Lana off, she activated overload quickly, disabling Chief's armor, before she punched him in the mask. "What the hell...I can't move. Cortana, override. Get my armor back online." Cortana chuckled, "Sorry, you're dealing with this yourself."

"ENOUGH!" Shepard shouted as Lana went in with her omniblade, but stopped as Shepard shouted, "We need to work together. And yes Chief, I need Kal leading that team because it would cause issues with Lana. You do not understand the extent of their bonding, and I, or they, don't have the time to explain it to you, understood?" Chief nodded as Lana allowed him back up, before returning to Kal's side.

"Now, Kal." Kal cleared his throat before replying, "I'm leading Admiral and Captain Garu. They outrank me as Raan is an Admiral, and Mr. Raan is a Captain. It would not be right to have me leading them." Shepard sighed, great, first problems with Kal leading, now Kal has problems with himself leading. "Admirals and Captains are skilled in one area and one alone: leading ships and fleets. Their skill in that is unparelled, and if this were the Normandy, I'd have Shala commanding it. But it isn't a naval fight, this is unfoot, with rifles. That's where you shine Kal, and these two understand that, and willingly accept you're command."

Kal nodded. Shepard had always shown confidence in his abilities, but sometimes in Kal's opinion, he went overboard. Not this time though he thought to himself. "Any more questions?" Shepard asked. Everyone just stood there, and after a couple of seconds, Shepard nodded, "Dismissed. Meet in the shuttle bay in 10 minutes, tops. If anyone needs me, I'll be on the bridge."

Everyone nodded and left, all except Zaeed and EDI. He turned to them, "When we get there, and we will, you leave Dav to me. I'm dealing with that bastard personally."  _I hate this feeling, but I'm actually looking forward to putting a bullet through his smug little face. How dare he pretend to be my lifemate's, well, lifemate. If he were a true quarian, he'd..._ He didn't understand. Quarian bonds were unbreakable, yet Dav had obviously manipulated and tricked Tali into believing that he was her lifemate. It simply doesn't make sense. Then he remembered his own words to Tali.  _Love doesn't follow guidelines._

"Don't worry Shepard, the only thing I'm looking forward to doing is killing Vido. Everyone else is yours." Zaaed stated clearly. Shepard nodded, "Better get to the shuttle bay, I'll be on the bridge for a few more minutes. In 6, we let Captain Titus know that he's picked the wrong ship to flee from." Zaeed smiled, and both he and EDI left. Shepard followed them, but broke off after the decon, heading straight for the bridge.

Once there, he saw that lying under the Normandy's ventral side, was the Ontarom, gliding through space like a seagull across the sea. The ship had such little armament that it was impossible to be intimidated by it, unless you were a freighter. But Normandy was far beyond from that.

Turning to Joker, he stated as EDI returned to her station next to him, "When I give the order, fire the Javelin torpedoes at its engines and disable it. Don't give them a chance to perform evasive maneveurs. EDI, if he so much as flinches away, you take control of the weapons. Got it?"

EDI and Joker nodded in sync, but Joker's had a sort of "what a prick" intention to it. Joker may have turned to helping Tali, but it didn't mean he was going to be a full believer. Shepard left and headed for the Armory. Once he was in his armor and had retrieved his Mattock, Tali's Geth Plasma Shotgun that he kept as a memory to her, his phalanx pistol and his Arc Projector, he entered the elevator, pressing the button for Deck 5.

Once there, he instantly noticed everyone else. Zaeed stood, his assault rifle ready and his "let's fuck up some mercs" face on. He also noticed Garrus coordinating a defensive strategy with Javik and Liara. Kal meanwhile was just having a private chat with Lana, as was Shala with Garu. He'd never seen Shala in active combat before, or Garu, but due to the both of them not objecting, they must of had some experience in the field. Readying his own Mattock, he moved towards Zaeed. As he joined him, he heard EDI approach from the elevator.

Joker watched as the Normandy just flew above the unaware Ontarom, like a vulture zooming in on its prey. If not for both being ships, literally. His hands hovered over the weapon controls, waiting for Shepard's orders. When they finally came, he didn't hesitate for a second. He immediately pressed the assigned controls, and two streaks of molten hot missile shot towards the Ontarom.

The ship was unable to respond, as the projectiles hit the ship's rear. The ship's size wasn't its benefactor, and the ship jolted backwards from the impact of the torpedoes, bits of armor and twisted metal floating out into space. The impact left two gaping holes where the Corsair's engines once resided. Noticing the ship disappeared, he knew he knew the ship had stopped and he'd continued. Dropping out of FTL, he brought the ship around on a 360 turn, and headed straight for the disabled Corsair.

"Ontarom crippled and not going anywhere Shep..." The ship then opened fire on the Normandy, missiles flying towards it. He was about to perform maneveurs when he felt the missiles and bullets hit. They did neglegible damage to Normandy's shields, and Joker retaliated with his own gatlings. Once he'd finished his work, the Ontarom just floated there. "Like I was saying, she's all yours Captain."

...

Learning that the child that resided in Tali's womb was Shepard's didn't perturb Dav. It was of no conseqence to him, as long as Tali thought Dav was the father, it didn't matter. Still, it was remarkable how Shepard managed to pull it off and Tali managed to survive this long.  _Her body is dying. All the vomitting and chest pains must all be the result of this...hybrid child. Interspecies breeding is meant to be impossible except for Asari, I know for a fact quarians can't reproduce with aliens. It's just not scientifically possible._

He shook the thoughts away as he stood on the bridge, standing next to Titus. He'd just sent his report to Vido about their failure to take the Tonbay and was waiting for his reply. "So Dav, this whole mission was a complete flop. The Commander failed, you failed, and you got you're team killed. Fucking wonderful." Titus mocked as he took a sip of his water. Dav shot him a look, "Don't forget, you were part of the mission as well, you take equal share of the blame Captain, I'd think about that before opening you're human mouth again."

Dav ignored Titus' look of disgust and just left the room, heading for the infirmary. Once there, he noticed Tali seemed eerily calm. She wasn't screaming in pain, she wasn't vomitting, she wasn't doing anything. He checked for a pulse but got only a cool voice in response, "I'm not dead Dav, It'll take more than a broken leg, chest pains and vomitting to kill me. Ease you're mind." Tali looked at him and then back at the ceiling.

"You wanted something?" Dav asked. Tali had sent him three requests for a private chat ever since he'd reached the bridge. It was really getting on his nerves. Tali nodded slowly, "The Normandy, I remember things, such as a Tantalus drive core. It provided the stealth systems for the ship." Dav shook his head, "Yes, and why should I care?" he immediately regained his posture and rephrased his sentence, "I mean, and this is relevant how?"

Tali frowned at his irritation. She'd never brought irritation to him before. He was acting strange, probably nothing actually. "Well, this ship doesn't have a Tantalus drive core. Which means our stealth drive is on, but the Normandy can still track us." Dav's eyes opened wide, "Then that means they could be pursuing us right now!" Tali nodded solemnly, she seemed awfully calm about this.

"Don't panic. I'm using this to our advantage. If we can lure the Normandy in..." She didn't get to finish as a distant explosion was heard, and then Dav was tossed towards the rear of the room as the whole ship rocked backwards. Alarms sounded and the entire infirmary was illuminated in a red light. "All hands man you're stations, the Normandy has found us and we are under attack. Engineering, report. Why aren't my damn engines working!"

Tali hadn't almost fallen out, if not for the harness Rifler applied. As the ship regained composure, Dav stood up. Turning to Tali he said, "You stay here, I'm going to find out what's happening." Tali nodded and he rushed out towards the bridge. Once inside, he saw the crew rushing about, engaging at their stations.

The ship rocked as Dav stood next to him, and he saw streaks of gatling fire coming not only from their ship, but from the Normandy. This was a hopeless fight, the Normandy had a massive advantage of not only maneveurability, but weaponry as well.  _They also had the best pilot in the galaxy._ Soon, the ship stopped rocking. "Why aren't we firing?" Titus barked at his gunner. His gunner got up and looked directly at both him and Titus, "Because we've got nothing to shoot. Were defenseless."

Before Titus could respond, his communications officer spoke up, "Sir, the Normandy has just stopped directly over us and...they just deployed a shuttle. It's heading towards the rear airlock." Dav nodded and Titus, "I'll protect Tali. Tell the crew to hold them off." Dav, equipping his rifle, then left and headed back for the infirmary. As soon as he entered, he heard Titus' voice, "All hands, we have Alliance boarders, protect Commander Zorah at all costs, I repeat, at all costs. Protect the guddamn infirmary!"

Dav looked at Tali, who looked back with desperation, "Now would be a good idea to explain this trap. But do it quickly." After sealing the door, he listened closely.

...

"And...were in. Opening doors in three...two...one." Cortez stated. The doors opened and Garrus, expecting trouble, readied his weapon. Finding nothing in his sights, he signalled for Liara and Javik to follow him out. They were followed by Kal and Team Three, and finally team one.

Team One approached the doorway, as Team Two followed. After a quick nod to Team Three, Shepard turned to the door. In the corner of his eye, he saw Kal lead his team through a different door, towards the bridge. Once their door closed, Shepard hit the haptic interface on the door and it slid open. A wide eyed crewman began firing erratically. After mumbling, "Guddamn rookies", Zaeed leapt from cover and shot the crewman point blank in the head. "All the real mercs must be dead. Just untrained crewman now. This'll be easy."

"Be careful, we still have Dav to deal with." Moving up, he noticed Garrus and his team keeping up close behind them. After reaching a corridor which read "Infirmary Main Access", he looked at Garrus, who nodded in understanding. Garrus then gave the commands for Liara and Javik to take defensive positions while Garrus joins them. Noticing they had a defensible position, Shepard lead his team down to the infirmary.

Soon they reached the entrance to the infirmary, finding no guards.  _Dav must be inside._ After equipping a flashbang, courtesy of Kasumi, Shepard took position on the right of the doorway, EDI crouched next to him and Zaeed ready to kill when ordered too. Nodding to both of them, he hit the interface and after the door opened, he quickly threw the grenade in.

A second later came the bang of the grenade going off and a flash of white. Moving in first, Shepard stepped in, weapon levelled and ready. He found noone in the room except Tali lying on a bed in the middle of the room, her face turned away from the flashbang. Finding it odd that Dav would abandon his asset, he lowered his weapon but did not holster it.

Zaeed and EDI took positions at the doorway, preparing for Dav's surprise entrance. Shepard moved next to Tali. She lay perfectly still. Tali just lay there, her eyes closed, her hand tightening around her concealed knife. She waited for Shepard to move into position, so she could finish him.

Shepard did just this, and moved to her side. He didn't move. He didn't touch her, shoot her or even move at all. He just stood there, gazing into her eyes, which she replied in kind. For reasons she found confusing, she found his gaze peaceful, comforting. They also brought deja vu.  _What is it about this bosh'tet that makes me feel helpless and safe in his presence, he clearly wants to brainwash me, but yet I feel..safety. Keelah, what's wrong with me! Kill him already!_ "Tali..." he began in a soft voice that only Tali could hear, "I don't know whether you're going to listen or not, but I'm done being you're enemy. I'm not here to hurt you, I just want you to come home."

 _Home? What, on the Normandy? I've never set foot on that ship in my entire life!_ "I know you're in there, don't let Vido control you, don't let Dav cloud you with his lies. They are not who they claim to be. Dav is manipulating you, using the quarian's bond to control you."  _How dare he speak about Dav in that way._ "He doesn't love you, I've seen the look in his eyes, he's a pretender. He's only pretending to love you so you'll stay loyal to the Blue Suns."  _What he says makes sense. What if Dav is tricking me? I have noticed that he tends to be...hostile to me at times. Particulary when I tell him about my deja vu._

"But I do. I love you with all my heart,  _Saera._ You've got to remember. Our bonding ceremony on the Normandy? What about our time on Rannoch? Remember how you would tease me and I'd tease you back? What about Kal and Lana? Veetor? Freedom's Progress? Haestrom? The Collectors? Destroying the Reapers! Please, I beg you. I'm not forcing you to return home, but please listen to me. I love you, and I know you love me, but Vido's control is stopping you from seeing that. You don't remember me because he doesn't want you too. You don't remember anything because he doesn't want you too. Please."

She noticed tears well up in his eyes.  _Either he's a very good actor, or he's telling the truth. Definitely the former. Wait, no the latter. Damn it! No, I'm pregnant with Dav's child, so that must mean he loves me. You don't get someone pregnant unless...no. Damn it. All those names, I know them, but from WHERE! Maybe I don't remember. Maybe he's right. Maybe...I do love him. No...it doesn't matter. I know where my loyalties lie._

She looked up at him, looseningly her hold on the knife and then reached up and touched his cheek. He repeated, "Please, Come Back to Me."  _Now that's got to set her off._ Tali widened her eyes as she caressed his cheek. Images of a man screaming plagued her mind.  _I had spoken those words, but where? Too many new questions, not enough answers!_ "I love you John."

She then tightened her grip again and lunged out, stabbing him in the chest. She pulled it out, and watched as Shepard retreated into a wall, cupping his new found wound. It bled horribly, and he fell to the ground, giving her a gaze of horror.  _I truly have lost her._ Tali leapt up and crouched next to him and put a hand to his cheek. She immediately let it retreat as hate once again filled her eyes. She stood up, "I hope you rot in hell filth."

She leapt over the table and before Zaeed or EDI could react, she plunged her knife deep into EDI's shoulder, and kicked Zaeed in the face. Too slow to react, they couldn't stop Tali from escaping. Shepard slowly got up and speed walked, still cupping his wound after Tali. EDI removed the knife from her wound and gave it to Shepard. He took it willingly, and inserted it into his left pocket. Zaeed got up, craddling his broken nose as he and EDI followed Shepard.

...

"Not a single crewman yet." Garrus stated. He waited for Liara or Javik to respond. They didn't. "Liara? Javik? Talk to me, that's an order!" Still no response. He moved to get up from his prone position when he saw Javik fly over him into the floor, wounded. He went to help, when Dav stood over him, foot to his neck, holding the Prothean down.

Looking back he saw the unconscious form of Liara and before he could find out what happened he saw Tali right in his face. "Night Night Garrus, oh, and I'm NOT fat." Tali then hit Garrus across the head with the butt of her shotgun, knocking him out. She smiled, that bit of deja vu she could piece together, but still no location was given. Although the interior was surprisingly familiar.

Looking up to see Dav about to kill Javik, she shouts, "Let him live." Dav gave her a questioning look, but after a few seconds, just knocked Javik out with the butt of his pistol. Turning to Tali he states, "Were on our own with the plan, bridge just got assaulted and overrun. Titus is most likely dead. We had better leave, now." Tali nodded and ran alongside Dav down the hallway towards the airlock.

Stopping for a moment to send a fake signal, they entered the airlock. They spotted the lone shuttle and quick approached it, both smiling.

...

"Garrus, stop her..." Shepard rounded the corner to find all of team two knocked out, no gunfire or bullets visible. As he moved, he could hear Liara stirring. He approached her and kneeled down next to her. Seeing him, Liara widened her eyes suddenly, "Shepard! Tali, she's escaping! She knocked me out! What happened to Garrus and Javik...," noticing Garrus' unconscious body, she cried out, "Garrus!"

She ran over to kneel next to him and tried to wake him up. He finally did, and he looked into Liara's eyes, "Liara, you're alright. Damn it, Tali hit me hard. I think my jaw is broken or something. It hurts so much." Garrus craddled his jaw. "Tali, she knocked me out, what the hell happened Shepard?"

Shepard gave a sad look at the floor, "I think I was getting through to her. She even replied affectionately, but then...well..." He motioned to his wound. Garrus' eyes expanded, "She attacked you!?" Shepard nodded, pulling out his knife for all to see. Garrus hit his knee in frustration. Liara looked at him, "You almost got through to her?" Shepard nodded, "She understood, even after stabbing me she seemed to change her posture, as if shocked at what she did. But that didn't last long, next thing I know. She attacks you guys."

Javik quickly joined them, "Why run? She has nowhere to go, neither does the other quarian, Dav." Shepard looked up. "You saw Dav?" Javik nodded, but Garrus spoke up, "Yeah, he was looming over Javik just before Tali sent me to sleep. The way they attacked us, they looked so confident. I know Tali, she's only confident when she knows she can win." Shepard nodded in agreement.

"But she has nowhere..." Then it stuck him, like clear daylight.  _Oh shit._ "Contact Joker, right now!" If Tali didn't get the Tonbay, she'd settle for the next best thing.

The Normandy.

...

Hawk sat in his chair, eagerly awaiting Vido's response.  _Bloody idiot. Answer. I know you're there. Answer or the Blue Suns will know the full extent of Cerberus' iron fist._ Damn it, he knew Vido was undependable from the start. He should have killed him from the start, but Vido was a valuable asset but only for reason, they both had one goal: Hurt Shepard. What better do that than to take away his little pet?

He sighed in relief as Vido finally answered, his face appearing on screen. "What is it Hawk, I've got a facility to run and a bunch of incompetent quarian fools to deal with." Vido was really getting sick of Hawk and his Cerberus minions. It pissed him the hell off because he felt like he answered to Cerberus.  _The Blue Suns answer to noone, noone but me._

"Well, Mr. Santiago, I want a status update on Project: Primordial." Vido rolled his eyes, Blue Suns projects were really none of Cerberus' damn business. But since Cerberus was donating resources to it, he guessed it might be some of their business. "It's half way to completion, I just need the Tonbay. But there has been complications."

Hawk raised an eyebrow, "What kind of complications? Spit it out Vido or I'll shut down Primordial before you get a chance to test it." Vido tried not to snap it at him.  _Once Primordial's done and I mass produce it, then we'll see who's superior. Hawk won't like the sight of those weapons of mass destruction raining down on his precious little station._

Vido tried to surpress laughter at that thought as he answered, "Commander Zorah and her team failed to take the Tonbay. They are returning here as we speak. Although communications as been temporarily lost with the Ontarom, I know they will return. When they do, both she and her little lifemate will be punished. Failure in my organization isn't taken lightly."

Hawk smiled, "Well aren't you impressing, anyway, once they return, have Dav executed. That should get Mrs. Zorah, Sarve, whatever, to work alittle bit harder." Vido retorted, "You don't do you're research do you? Surprisingly, coming from Cerberus. They treasure their lifemates like their worth a galaxy's worth of credits. Kill one, and the other will go into a fit of rage and attempt to kill you. That can only end in both being dead, Tali is no good to me dead. How can we use her then?"

Hawk sighed, for once, the merc had a point. "Do you relate everything in this galaxy to credits? No matter. Fine, keep them alive. But make sure they do not fail again. And next time you assault a quarian ship or any other vessel, make sure you have a full fleet on standby. Use that god forsaken fleet of yours. Hawk out."

Vido cursed under his breath. He would deal with both of those incompetent idiots, but only once they got back. As he sat there, he thought of what punishments he could issue that weren't death related.

...

Joker just sat at his station, eagerly awaiting EDI's return. He didn't feel safe without her around and even worse, he felt he couldn't protect her.  _It's a ship with 17 non-combatants and a quarian male against a full squad of a badass asari biotic, a vengeful prothean, a turian viglante who happens to be good with a sniper rifle, a badass war hero and the most feared merc in the galaxy. What am I worried about?_

Still, he couldn't help but feel uneasy. He can fumbling with his fingers. Eventually, he just decided to pull out the latest issue of fornax magazine to have a read. Just when he turned the first page, a beeping came from the console in front of him. A distress call.

He pressed it and heard the transmission, "Send everyone! There was more mercs than we thought! EDI and Zaeed are down and Liara and Javik are dead! We need immediate assistance! SEND EVERYONE!" Joker nodded and contacted all the specialists, telling them to board the Corsair.  _I got too confident. Now EDI's in trouble._ He watched as the specialists signatures disappeared in the second shuttle and it left the Normandy, descending to the Corsair. Shepard's shuttle could be seen.

Before he could find out why, Shepard's voice played. For some reason, it didn't sound right. "Were evacuating EDI and Zaeed to the ship. Have Dr. Chakwas on standby." Joker nodded, responding in kind before signalling Chakwas and her medical team. He lay back, thinking of EDI's status.

 _I hope she'll be okay. Don't see how Chakwas could help. Wish Legion was still here, or Lana, or Shala, or..._ Wait, something didn't seem right about this. Why would Shepard order Chakwas to help EDI, knowing she works on anatomy? Not tech? Shepard knew the difference.

Keying the intercom he said, "Dr. Chakwas, where are you currently?" He listened for a response, but heard none. "He asked again, "Dr. Chakwas, status, please respond." Still nothing. What was going on? Looking at the ship's schematics, he could see the shuttle had landed, and the three occupants had left already.  _I really don't like this._

He tried to contact Cortez, but he didn't respond either. When he tried to contact the specialists, his sensors picked up that the elevator was moving.  _Returning already? Yet they don't respond._ He was surprised when the elevator didn't stop on Deck 3.  _Okay, this is definitely not good._ He began frantically pressing buttons as the elevator stopped on Deck 2.

He continued to frantically press the icons as he heard feet coming up behind him.  _Damn it, Shepard, answer already. Fuck!_ He heard the footsteps stop. Turning he was looking down the barrel of a Claymore. He could see a purple visor hiding behind it. "Oh son of a..." before he could finish what he was saying, Tali wacked him across the head, knocking him out.

Joker's head fell into the console in front. Glancing at Dav she nodded and pushed Joker's unconscious body off the seat and sat in it. Keying at the controls, she heard Dav run back down to neatralize the rest of the crew or subdue them. She smiled to herself.  _A much better prize than the Tonbay. Vido will be very pleased._

She thought about what Shepard had said to her. He had so many things that actually made sense. She felt this inner conflict, as if one side was desperately trying to win out against the other. She was also pregnant, which made her decision even harder. Who was correct in this? Dav or Shepard?

She stopped for a second and reached down, feeling around her stomach, which had become unnoticably bigger. She felt sick, but it was nowhere as bad as it was before. She continued typing into her console, finally gaining control of the ship. She tapped a single icon and smiled as the Normandy shifted and began speeding away. Once she thought they were at a decent distance, she entered FTL and the space around the ship warped and disappeared as they headed for the nearest Mass Relay.

She lay back and relaxed.

_Yes, I will rewarded quite handsomely._

...

"Damn it, hurry!" Shepard ran down the hallway, ignoring the knife wound in his chest as he approached the airlock. He banged on the door, as it was locked. Just as they arrived, they could hear footsteps. Spinning with weapons barred, they lowered them as they saw Kal and his team appear.

"We need to get to the Normandy now! We think..." Kal put up his hand as Lana continued his sentence for him, "...that Tali and Dav will hijack it. We know, I just hacked into their communications. Shepard, they were planning on this. Our Boarding action, everything. All so they could get their hands on the Normandy. This was a trap, Tali's trap." Shepard hit the door with his fist in anger.

 _I know how Tali works. Why didn't I see this coming! Oh wait, Tali's never been my main enemy before._ "Lana, could you get this door open! If were fast, we can..." He stopped as the haptic interface on the door flickered and died as two five fingered hands reached through and wrenched them open.

Standing there was Chief and behind him, all the other specialists.  _What are they doing here?_ Chief asked before he could open his mouth, "Chakwas is ready, so where's EDI and Zaeed..." Seeing Javik and Liara, Chief frowned as did everyone else. "Wait, Javik? Liara? You're alive? But Shepard, you said..." Shepard frowned, "Said what? I haven't contacted the Normandy except for Joker telling him to prepare for Tali and..."  _Damn it, of course, how could I be so dense._

"Tali and Dav, they lured you off the ship with a false distress call so they could take the ship!" Jacob clicked his fingers, "So that shuttle flying by was actually Tali and Dav! Wait, Cortez is onboard!" Shepard cursed. "What do we..."

Lana began tapping his shoulder, spinning around he looked at Lana, "Shepard, the Normandy, it's...gone." Shepard backed off slowly, "No...No...check the readings again!" Lana shook her head, turning off her omnitool. "There's no doubt, they took the Normandy." Shepard hit the wall with his fist in rage. For the first time in his life, since meeting her, since bonding to her...

He hated her.

...

"Sir, Commander Zorah and Lieutenant Sarve have just reported in. They are beginning atmospheric entry." the merc reported. Vido nodded as he took a wiff of his cigar. Taking it out again, he blew the smoke purposely into the merc's face before turning back to the sky.

"Well, what are you waiting for. Return to you're post, I don't pay you to pass on messages. I pay you to work." Thrusting the datapad into the merc's chest, the merc caught and after giving Vido a hateful look through his mask, walked off. Vido was very angry.  _Hawk promised me that indoctrinating Mrs. Shepard would bring nothing but successful operations, but so far she's as useful as recruting a janitor as a merc._

He took another puff of his cigar as he watched his latest ships, the MSV Leonidas and MSV Axios fly through the sky, his strongest vessels to date. They were of course just obsolete Alliance Trojan-class Heavy Cruisers, converted for Blue Suns use. He looked down to see his large hired muscle moving around building his second new warship, MSV Australia, which would be his flagship.

He heard the sounds of a ship descending and prepared to drop his cigar butt and crush it when his mouth gaped open. Descending down through the atmosphere was the hull of a Alliance frigate, the name "SSV Normandy SR-2" clearly visible on its hull.  _Shit, Shepard's found us._ With a rush of wind from the descending hellion of a vessel, the light on his cigar was put out as he opened his mouth in shock, the cigar falling out on its own.

Instead of attacking however, the Normandy just hovered over the base. Through his helmet comm, he heard Sulak, "Sir, incoming transmission. Patching it through to you." Vido nodded as a familiar quarian voice came through, "Mr. Santiago, I present to you, the new pride of the Blue Suns Fleet. Forget the Australia, say hello to you're new flagship: The SSV Normandy SR-2."

Tali hadn't failed him, she had surpassed his expectations. He felt a smile grip his face. "Commander Zorah, meet me in my office. It's time to talk promotion." With that, Vido walked back inside.  _Not only do I have his wife turned against him, but now I own his prized little ship as well. Let's see how that asshole copes with that._

He began laughing hysterically as he continued towards his office.

_The tides of war have changed._

**Bosh'tet:** Thought by many non-quarians to be the quarian equivalent of "son of a bitch" or "bastard." Surprisingly, it is actually the name of a animal native to Rannoch, similiar to Earth rats. It is a rodent to lives my scavenging, but has a very low intelligence, is quite irritating and lazy. It eats the excrement of other animals, using what's let of it as a home and the undigested bits as sustenance. It will eat any dung, even its own. It will defend its dung pile at any cost, even its own kind, and has been known to fight to the death. Quarians used it as a curse word for people who are being stupid, unresponsive, irritating or fighting for a worthless cause or reason.

 **Saera:** Term used when speaking to ones lifemate. Literal translation: My souls soul. Other meanings include, but are not limited to: Keeper of my soul and My souls protector. Most commonly used word throughout the fleet by a quarian when speaking privately to their lifemate. Though unconfirmed by any quarian, there are implications that this word holds extreme intimacy as well as absolute trust. No single human word or phrase encompassed all that this one short word implies as it appears to contain both dominance and submissive traits.

**With the Normandy in Vido's hands and now in command of a piece of shit converted freighter, what will Shepard do? And is Tali finally coming around, or will remain under Vido and Dav's control? Find out, in Chapter 15. Coming soon.**

**"I don't need luck, I have ammo."**

**\- Grunt.**


	16. Flotsam Jetsam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the Blue Suns having captured the Normandy and Tali escaping once more, Shepard is about ready to give up.

_**Flotsam Jetsam** _

"I've been waiting a while Vido. What took you so long?" Hawk barked. Vido had not responded for two days, he wanted to know what he'd done with Zorah and Sarve. Hopefully they got what they deserved, incompetent fools. Vido just smiled, "Oh, I've just been admiring my new flagship." Hawk rolled his eyes.

"Yes, you know the Australia isn't all that impressive, it could..." Vido gaze him a frown so Hawk stopped, "What?" Vido just laughed, "The Australia? That thing is a piece of shit compared to my new pride. No, I snagged a new prize. Guess what, its the Normandy." Hawk spat out his sip of water as he looked back at Vido.

"Bullshit. There is no way..." Hawk began. How did a simple merc get his hands on the most advanced starship in the Alliance fleet? Especially when it was owned by Shepard and his own private army. "Let's just say Miss Zorah used the Ontarom as a trap to lure Shepard in. While his crew was away, she and Dav snagged it. And, here it is, my baby."

Hawk smiled as well. The Normandy, without his precious little ship or his pet, Shepard would soon be losing his will to fight. As would his crew.  _We have you Shepard._  Vido continued, "I will use some of the parts for Project: Primordial, but to be honest, I'm really liking this Thanix gun of his. Looks like it packs a punch. Well, I've got a ship to admire so we shall talk again soon, Mr. Francis. Goodday."

Hawk took a sip of his water before grinning again.  _Today was turning out better than planned. And soon, Shepard will have to break under all this pressure. Seriously, what is he going to do with a converted freighter?_

Hawk laughed a mocking laugh.

...

Shepard's fist smashed into the bed that Tali once lay on, the one that was now his new War Room. "FUCK! HOW COULD WE LET THIS HAPPEN!?" He walked over and kicked over a pile of boxes before returning to look at the specialists before him. What pissed him off more is knowing that Joker, Dr. Chakwas, Gabby and Ken, and so many of the crew could be dead, killed by Dav and his...slave.

Shepard was forced to resign. It was clear after Tali's actions that she was beyond saving. The crew had been right, saving Tali was impossible. Eventually he sighed, "Were going back to Earth. Let Hackett deal with the Blue Suns. Tali's gone, I can accept that now." Garrus was beyond shocked, he was down right outraged. The man who had shouted him down for abandoning Tali, was now abandoning her himself.

"That's it? We lose the Normandy and you decide to give up? What abandoned to that asshole who shouted me down for giving up? Has he decided to quit? Defeating the Reapers was an impossible task, you did it though! And what about the collectors? The quarians and geth? The genophage? The..." He was stopped as Shepard yelled, "ALL DONE WITH THE NORMANDY!"

"NOW WE ARE STUCK WITH THIS PIECE OF JUNK THAT DOESN'T EVEN HAVE WORKING ENGINES!" James butted in, "And what about Sparks? You yelled at us for abandoning her and here you are! Telling us to give up! YOU ARE A HYPOCRITE!" Shepard then reached around and punched James in the face, causing him to double back.

"FUCK OFF JAMES! YOU HAVE NO IDEA, YOU HEAR ME? NO IDEA WHAT THIS FEELS LIKE! IT'S OVER! I thought I got through to her, and the next thing I know, she stabs me. Tries to kill me. Lifemates don't do that. The picture is clear, she's too far gone, and the only thing they can do is put her out."

"You're abandoning her! You are no Lifemate of hers, NO LIFEMATE ABANDONS THEIR SOUL!" Everyone looked to see that Lana was the one lying. Shepard then retorted in the same cold manner, "You quarian bitch, you have no...no..." Shepard felt tears well up, and they began streaking down. Shala stepped in, "Please, don't give up Captain." Shepard just looked up, "Raan, stop it. You know that it is impossible. And, no, you can take you're Captain status. I'm done, I fucking hate the Alliance. I fucking hate this galaxy. I feel like everything I've done was pointless. Fuck it FUCK ALL OF IT! I'M DONE!"

With that, Shepard just ran out of the room. Chief tried to stop him, but a simple kick to the groin was all it took to get Chief to move out of the way. Lana was crying in Kal's chest, not at Shepard's insult, but for him. He'd gone through pointless war only to have everything he loved taken away from him.

Shepard continued walking as Garrus and Liara came after him. James wanted to strike back at Shepard and tell him he was acting like a baby, but he knew it wouldn't be right. Eventually Shepard stopped at the bridge, fell into the Captain's chair and started crying softy into his left hand.  _So weak. I wasn't strong enough. I failed Tali, I failed everyone. Why should they follow me. I'm not worthy of the title Captain, I'm not worthy of any of it. I'm a disgrace. How can I even live with myself._

He answered his own question.  _Because of Tali. She is what continued my will to live. I'm the reason I fought so hard, so I may once again gaze on her face. That's impossible, I know that now, she's gone forever. The indoctrination has gone too far._ He continued to weep as he heard the doors open.  _Garrus and Liara most likely._

His suspicions confirmed, he just let Garrus and Liara stand in front of him. Knowing they would wait until he spoke he said, "Look, I failed the crew. I failed Tali, I failed everyone. There's nothing that can be done anymore. It's over, and the both of you know it." Garrus and Liara just stood there, until Garrus spoke up.

"Shepard, you can't just give up. It's not that easy..." Shepard looked up from his hand, "Not that easy? Of course its that...no its not, this is...the hardest decision of my fucking life. Abandoning Tali...its horrible, but its unpreventable. Tali is gone, I must accept that. I was stupid to think she could be helped."

Liara just gave him a angry look, "I saw the look you gave Tali every time she was there. You were the happiest couple I've ever seen. You told me yourself you'd do anything to..." Shepard yelled back, "I...DID! I DID EVERYTHING IN MY POWER! I PUT EVERYTHING INTO SAVING HER! The end result wasn't worth it. Damn it, I fucking hate the galaxy. WHY IS PEACE SO HARD TO ATTAIN!? All I wanted was to settle down with her, all my time in the Alliance, all I knew was conflict. I only knew how to take a life. But when I met Tali, that changed. I could imagine peace, a life with her on Rannoch, and instead of taking life, I could create it. Now, that image is nothing but a dream. She's gone."

Liara knew there was only one way to get Shepard back onboard. Opening her omnitool she displayed the picture of Shepard and Tali on Rannoch. Shepard gazed at it, a flicker of a smile on his face, but that didn't last long. He looked up at Liara, "Where did you get that?" He asked, sadness heard clearly in his voice.

"From Tali herself, she told me in her own words that she would never abandon you. That she wouldn't care if you were indoctrinated or not, she'd do anything to save you. She told me she'd strip down naked and take on an army of bacteria just to make sure you're alright. That is determination, something you had, and have now lost. You still have a chance to regain that confidence within you."

Knowing only one final way to regain his determination, she began a mindmeld with Shepard. Images of Tali and himself sitting next to each other on Rannoch, children running around, images of himself and Tali building a home, Tali without her suit, embracing him. He began crying without realizing it. "Stop, please stop, STOP!" Shepard grabbed Liara's arms and yanked them away.

Letting go, he just looked up. "Just a dream...it can't..." Garrus was sick in tired of Shepard acting like a depressed child, he began shouting, "WAKE THE HELL UP SHEPARD! TALI NEEDS YOU MORE THAN EVER! HELP HER OR WE WILL DO IT FOR YOU! AND THEN WHEN WE SAVE HER, YOU CAN EXPLAIN TO HER WHY YOU GAVE UP!" Garrus, taking Liara's hand then rushed out of the bridge. Shepard stood there stunned.

He wiped away his tears as he stood up.  _Garrus is right. No, I can't give up. Not now. I may have no Normandy, but I might be able to pull some..._ Then he remembered that he had many allies... _Mother._ Smiling, he ran back towards Liara and Garrus, calling out as he went, "GARRUS! LIARA! STOP!" They turned and saw Shepard smiling as he stopped in front of them. "So, finally woken up from depression? Or will it take a kick in the groin to fully wake you up?" Garrus joked. Shepard smiled, "No, but I think our chances just got boosted. We have more allies than we thought."

Before he could continue, Javik came running in, "Captain, we just found something on the medical equipment. You might want to see this, its about Tali." Taking a quick glance at Garrus and Liara, Shepard raced to follow Javik, as did Garrus and Liara. When they arrived in the infirmary they found everyone crowded around a monitor with Tali's saved vital signs on it.

"What's going on?" Shepard asked he pushed into the middle. Lana gave him a sad look before answering, "Take a look." Shepard did so and looked at the outline of Tali's body. In the middle of her chest, was a glowing little body, resting in a fetal position. He knew what this meant.

"She's...my...impossible...Tali's pregnant?" Everyone nodded, "Dav, that son of a bitch is going to..." Miranda held up her hands, "Now hold on just a minute, look closely at the readouts. Look at the species." Shepard did so in clear writing was  _Species: Quarian-Human Hybrid._ He was stunned.  _Impossible. How can she...what...that's our child, MY child._ He wanted to smile but he knew Tali was still in danger.  _If Vido finds out about that baby, or Dav...oh no._

Turning, he announces quickly, "Okay, gather around the table. I have an announcement to make." Everyone complied, moving towards the table, and quickly surrounding it. Before he began his mission briefly, he sighed heavily before looking into each and everyone's eyes. "Look, the outburst before was uncalled for. I...you didn't deserve any of that. I was weak, and thanks to Garrus and Liara, I remembered that. Tali isn't gone, and I know that, but a part of me wants to so much to put her out of her misery" turning to Lana, "You were right Lana, of course you were right. Lifemates don't abandon each other, and I certainly haven't. Not until I draw my final breath."

Lana nodded solemnly. He began walking back and forth, "You are my friends, my family, you've not only helped me through so many battles, but you've tought me what friendship truly is. Its a bond of its own, one that binds us together, without it, we wouldn't be standing here. We stood together, as a single team, and together stopped the geth, collectors and more importantly, the Reapers. The Blue Suns have no friends, no allies. They are officially an enemy of the Alliance and the quarian people, and I believeI speak not just for myself, but on behalf of each of you, when I say that friendship is like a quarian bond: it can't be broken, it can never be destroyed. You can betray it, but never destroy it."

"Which is why when you strike Vido and Dav, we will do it together! As one, and not only will we save Tali, but we will kill Vido in style," he gave Zaeed a look and both smiled and then looked at Raan, "And a certain quarian and I will have a little chat with Dav, family matters." Shala nodded, smiling.  _Oh yes, that little exiled roshnel will pay for hurting my Tali._

With that over, Garrus patted Shepard on the back, "It's good to have you back. Thought we'd lost you." He smiled and looked at the group, "Now, we plan for our ultimate comeback." And with that, he smiled.

Vido and Dav, time to kiss your asses goodbay, christmas has come early, and you've been VERY naughty.  _They have the Normandy, but I have a few little tricks up my sleeve._

...

"How did you do it? I mean, the fucking Normandy!? Did you seduct Shepard with you're charm or something?" Vido shouted, not in anger, but bliss. The Normandy, all his. Oh yes, the Eclipse, Blood Pack, Aria, the Alliance and yes, Hawk, will bow down to him. That, and Project: Primordial will transform us from mercenary group, to full time military.

In front of him, stood Tali and Dav side by side and behind them, crouched on the ground and watched by 2 armed mercs, were Joker, Gabby, Ken, Chakwas, Tia, Cortez, Samantha and the rest of the crew. Joker cursed under his breath as he looked at Cortez, he gave him a worried look.  _Damn it Joker, let you're guard down for one second, and they take the Normandy. Shepard is going to kill me. That's providing he gets here before the mercs do it first._

"It was easy, how could he resist attacking a piece of shit corsair that just happened to have his supposed lover onboard? We simply lured him in, I killed him, then me and Dav disabled their specialists, boarded the Normandy and hijacked. You humans have saying, 'like taking candy from a baby.'" Tali stated clearly.

 _At least one alien can get our sayings right._ "Excellent, with the Normandy added to our fleet, the Blue Suns will be unstoppable. Even Eclipse and Blood Pack will be forced to cease hostilities. Once united, we can assault the Alliance. And were done there, we'll sever our partnership with Cerberus and finish them off. I've had enough of Hawk, it's time I had him terminated. Personally. So, is there anything we can take from that ship to use for Project: Primordial?"

 _Project: Primordial. I've heard Vido mention that 3 times already. What is it?_ Joker thought. It doesn't sound good. When Vido said it the way he did, you knew it wasn't good. Tali nodded and typed into her omnitool, bringing up displays, "If we take bits of the Thanix cannon and the Tantalus Core, we can have it added and it will not only finish the Project, but it will improve upon it vastly. It will be much more superior with a mini thanix added to it."

 _The way Tali describes it, it must be some kind of ship if the Thanix is being utilized, and the Tantalus Drive core just confirms it. But their disassembling my ship! Over my dead body._ Literally. Joker did the unexpected and jumped up taking the merc by surprise and he was able to grab the weapon and disable him. He then turned and killed the second merc before turning to Vido.

He had reacted to late as he was now looking down the barrel of Tali's shotgun once again. "Drop it, now." Joker obeyed, and slid to the ground. His bones protested, but he ignored them. He felt Tali's shotgun digging into his scalp. Vido clicked his tongue in disaprovement. He got up and crouched down next to Joker. Seeing that Joker wouldn't comply and look at him, he signalled Tali.

Obeying, Tali yanked his chin up so he was looking directly into Vido's eyes. "A stunt like that almost got you killed. You will have to pay for that." Getting up, he pulled out his pistol.  _This is it._ He closed his eyes and waited for the shot to go off. It did, and knew he was dead.  _No pain nothing. Wait, how am I still thinking?_ He opened his eyes. He was surprised that the could. However, now he wished he hadn't opened them at all.

Lying next to him in a crumbled heap and covered in his own blood was... _Cortez._ "NO! You son of a bitch! No! Cortez! FUCK YOU!" Vido just smiled as he holstered his pistol and walked back behind his desk, "Try that again, and Captain Zorah here will have the pleasure of killing all of you one by one, everytime you try."

Joker looked at Tali and saw her return his gaze. He saw sadness in them, but that quickly disappeared as she turned back to Vido, "Well sir, if you'll allow it, I will take my leave. I have things I wish to discuss with Dav. We will escort the prisoners to their cells." Vido nodded as Tali and Dav herded the normandy crew through the doorway and towards the prison block.

He smiled.  _Ah Shepard, now would be a good time to quit. Yes, quit and join us. I shall indoctrinate you too, then you won't have to worry about being seperated from you're pet ever again._

...

"Oh yeah, now its time to kick their asses! So, where we will we get the help for this operation? First, we don't know where Vido's base is, second, we don't have the forces to launch a strike like this. They've got the Normandy and if they could afford to convert this freighter and the one at Earth into Corsairs and Frigates, then surely have a fleet waiting." Garrus stated.

Shepard smiled. This is where it got very good. "Exactly, which is why were calling in the cavalry. I have a few friends and family members that maybe willing to help." Shepard stated. Everyone gave him an awkward look, "Like who? Fucking spit it out Shepard, I hate secrets." Jack demanded.

"First things first, to answer Garrus' first question...EDI." EDI nodded and turned to Garrus saying, "Thanks to this vessel and the crew's inability to wipe its databanks, we have tracked Vido's base of operations to Zorya." Zaeed smashed his fist into his open palm, "Little bugger was hiding right under our noses all along. Should have known."

"Now, to answer you're second question, the Blue Suns are officially at war with the Alliance. They basically declared war when they attacked Bustan Hospital. Now, the Alliance will want payback. And Hackett is our ticket." James smiled, "Impresionante! With the fifth fleet on our side, we can't fail!"

Shepard grinned a bigger grin, "And it doesn't end there. My mum has grown quite attached to her daughter in law, and I think she will be in on it as well." Kasumi was giggling, "Two alliance fleets, this is getting very interesting." Shepard laughed, "and it doesn't end there." Turning to Shala he said clearly, "Raan, time to show these mercs what happens when you fuck with the quarian race."

Shala was surprised, "You want the patrol fleet to help?" Shepard nodded, "You want to show these mercs what you quarians are really made of? You want to show them that these 'beggars and thieves' can fight? Well, send you're fleet, and you shall have that chance." Raan contemplated this and smiled, "Very well then. The Patrol Fleet stands ready to assist in any manner possible. The Blue Suns will know our might."

Shepard took another look around the room, "While Raan and I contact the assigned fleets, you should all get ready. I want every engineer working on getting our engines back online. Once ready, take us to Bekenstein. That will serve as the fleets' rally point." Everyone nodded as Shepard dismissed them. Tapping visors with Garu, Shala joins Shepard as he leaves.

"I shall contact the Patrol fleet, what's left of it, and get them onboard. If I can get Gerrel to help, that will be a bonus. We'll need every ship we can muster to even come close to being a match for the Normandy." Shepard nodded in agreement, "I'll contact Admirals Hackett and Shepard. Good luck." They both nodded in sync before leaving. Shepard reached over to the nearest console and contacted Hackett.

_Vido, Dav, you fucked with the wrong human today. Now you'll witness what pissing me off literally achieves. Nothing but a total shitstorm for you._

_Today was turning out better than planned. And soon, Vido will have to come crawling to me when I leave both his base and fleet in ruin and recapture the Normandy. And when I have Tali back, we'll both kill him, together._

...

"Hackett here, what can I do for you Shepard." Shepard smiled as he saw his mother behind him.  _How convenient._ He turned back to Hackett, "I have come asking for both you and Admiral Shepard's assistance." Hearing this, Hannah joined Hackett and the vidscreen. "Hello son, I heard about the Blue Suns assault on Bustan Hospital. I wish you good luck in saving Tali. I wish I could, but I'm not much help to you. When you save her, make sure my name is carved into Vido's skull."

"Well, I've come to ask about just that. We've taken a turn for the worst. I'll give you the basic rerun..." After telling them what happened, Hannah was holding back tears and Hackett was shaking his head. "Sounds serious Shepard, but why are you contacting us? We have no idea where Vido's BOO is, and if we did, we would have contacted you and bombarded it by now."

Shepard nodded, "No need. We've found Vido's base, but with the Normandy in his hands and we what we believe to be a semi-decent fleet, we'll need help. A simple Corsair with destroyed engines and a disabled stealth drive won't help us. We need a fleet, we need yours. Admiral Hackett, Admiral Shepard, please, I beg you. Send your fleets, rendevous at Bekenstein, and we can assault Zorya together."

Hackett wasn't too sure about this, but it was obvious Hannah would send her fleet without a second thought. Confirming his thoughts, she said, "Of course, anything to save Tali and make those Blue Suns pay for what they've done." Shepard and looked at Hackett with a pleading look. Sighing he smiled, "Fifth Fleet will be yours Shepard, I'll have them sent now. I'll command it myself."

Shepard gave a sigh of relief. With the Fifth Fleet and Hannah's 54th Assault Flotilla onboard, this plan could succeed. The added bonus of his mother commanding the SSV Killmanjaro, a Dreadnought even though damaged during the battle with the Reapers, added to his feeling of happiness. "Thank you Admirals. Tommorrow, Vido will know the Alliance's fury." He got the comm as Hackett and Admiral Shepard nodded.

Turning to Hannah, he didn't even need to voice his orders. Saluting him, Hannah ran out. After a small chuckle, he followed suit. Walking down the brissling corridors where men and women ran down them like a field of mice, he thought to himself.  _Surely Vido does realize the Alliance wouldn't take his assault at Bustan lightly? Who cares, all I know is that ours will lay waste to his. Dealing with the Normandy though, will be a different story all together._

...

Han stood at his table silently typing into his omnitool the amount of resources they'd need to build this many geth. Originally, when the quarians were nothing but nomads, this would be too many resources to even commit too, but now with both Aeia and Rannoch, even Haestrom, they could afford it. Legion stood next to him, voicing his suggestions.

When he finished he was about to adjourn the meeting with Legion when Malra ran up next to him, "Han, you've got a message from Admiral Raan." Han frowned.  _Shala hasn't contacted me for a very long time. Not since joining the Normandy to find and save Tali._ Nodding, he tapped his visor with Malra's before she left the room. Turning to Legion, he nodded and then opened the transmission.

Raan appeared on his console, though the environment behind her was different. "Admiral Raan, you're surrounding looks different. Tell me, how is the search for Tali? I hope you're search bodes well." Sighing in sadness, Raan explained. Han was more than shocked by the time she finished, he was absolutely outraged.  _The Blue Suns can't be allowed to do this._

"I'm sorry Shala. I really am. I wish I could help." Raan nodded, "Yes, well you can actually. Shepard spoke to the crew. Were launching an assault against Vido's base on Zorya, and we need you're help." she finished. Han just frowned again,  _My help?_ "What kind of help could I possibly offer?"

"Shepard is building a fleet to assault the base. He's just contacted his mother and Admiral Hackett, and they've agreed to send their fleets to Bekenstein. That's the rally point. I've contacted the patrol fleet and they've departed for Bekenstein already. Please, Han. If the Heavy Fleet can provide any assistance it would be appreciated."

"I don't no Raan, you're asking alot." Raan nodded solemnly, "If not, we understand. The priorities on Rannoch take initiative. Well, wish us luck. Admiral Raan out." Shala's face then disappeared off his omnitool as he turned it off. Han just stood there, contemplating Raan's words. Legion looked at him intently. "Admiral Gerrel, due to you're stance and facial expression, I would presume you're thinking of assisting Creator Raan."

Gerrel nodded, smiling. He stood up, "Yes indeed Legion, yes indeed." He was about to walk away when Legion spoke, "I can offer additional assistance." Han turned to him, with a surprised look on his face, "How so?"

"The Geth may not be in acceptable limits but I owe Creator Shepard a great deal. She was not only the first quarian to accept our offer of peace, but she was also the first one to begin assisting our kind in the endeavour. We owe her a personal debt, one I hope to be the vanguard of."

"Very Well, Legion. Prepare your forces and meet us near Adas. After, we will depart for Bekenstein." After seeing Legion nod, he took his leave. Taking a final glance at his lifemate, who simply, nodded he left the room.

_Raan and Shepard has called for help. Shepard hasn't helped us many times. Time to once again repay the favor. The quarian people stand ready not only to help Shepard, but Tali as well. We do not abandon our people._

...

"Damn it! This is all my fault! I should have been more alert! I should have been..." Joker shouted across the cell. Tia lay typing into her omnitool while Gabby lay in a fetal position, Ken comforting her. Dr. Chakwas just stood at the door, trying to calm Joker down. Samantha had just given up and was crying in the corner. Cortez's death had affected everyone around the room.

Gardner was just twindling his thumbs while Judy and Ellen helped Dr. Chakwas in calming Joker down. But he wasn't backing down. "Joker, it wasn't you're fault. Vido killed Cortez to send us a message, except the only message he sent was for us to keep fighting." Joker just looked at her, rage in his eyes, "OF COURSE IT WAS MY FAULT! I rebelled! If I had just sat still, he'd still be here! Vido wouldn't have shot him."

Chakwas knew nothing was going to change his mind, and just retreated with Judy and Ellen to the back of the room. She sighed.  _Damn it. I hope Shepard comes to save us soon, it could get pretty ugly if Vido resorts to indoctrinating all of us. I'd rather not end up like Tali, the poor girl._

As if reading her thoughts, the door opened and Tali appeared, claymore in hand. She eyed each of them, telling them to stay seated. She scanned the room menacingly and then her eyes landed on Joker. "You, pilot, come with me. You're needed." Tali said approaching him. He just looked at her. "Pilot? Since when..."  _Oh right, indoctrinated. Maybe I can help her. Shepard maybe her lifemate or whatever, but maybe I can get her to remember._ "Tali, come on. It's me, Joker. You know, Jeff "Joker" Moreau, the one who would make all these jokes and you'd retort in you're own quarian way."

Seeing Tali was poking him with the shotgun, he continued, "You're a essential part of the Normandy. The brains you could say. How you'd always hate to leave the work on Gabby and Ken's shoulderssssss..." He emphasized the last word as to get Ken and Gabby's attention. Seeing that it worked, he watched as Ken and Gabby shot up and joined in.

"Yeah, you'd complain how you hated leaving us to the work while you went up and spent time with Shepard. And Gardner, how you hated his food." Gardner got was going on and on que, joined in, "Yeah, I'd always be making special meals for you and you'd secretly hate them, but you were so polite you didn't care, you just ain't it. And don't pretend you liked it, I know you didn't. And Samantha, how she would always have those talks with you."

Samantha joined in with the flow of conversation, "You'd talk to me about personal issues when Shepard wasn't around and I'd help you sort it all out. You never got angry, I was always there for you. Kelly also helped me there..." as the cacophony of conversation continued, Tali became more and more confused.

 _I don't remember any of these people, yet they remember me so well. Shepard had also stated his feelings as if he'd actually kissed me, joined with me, bonded with me. What is going on. I don't know these people! Or do I, and Shepard was right. And I'M the one manipulated?_ She ignored this thought for now as she returned to the present.

She poked Joker again and he sighed in defeat.  _I'd say thick, but she is indoctrinated. I was right, she's too far gone._ This time he obeyed her and left the room, Tali behind him. She turned to them again and a smile etched her face.  _I should have a physcologist look at me. I must be going insane. One minute I hate them, now I like them? Get you're act together!_

With that the door closed and Chakwas let out a sigh.

_She's at least listening now. Maybe she can be saved afterall._

**So Shepard's calling in the cavalry. Do you anticipate a final climatic battle? One where the Blue Suns and Alliance/Quarians go head to head? Vido's days are numbered. And Dav will be meeting his end VERY soon.**

**"I have a home. Come back to me."**

**\- Tali**


	17. Clash of the Titans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shepard amasses a fleet and invades Zorya. The cracks in Tali's indoctrination begin to show.

_**Clash of the Titans** _

**Before I start this chapter I'm going to address and issue that has been pissing me the hell off. I've had guests telling me how unbelievable the whole 'Dav and Tali sleeping' event was and I would reply, IF YOU WEREN'T FRIGGIN GUESTS. So now, for hopefully THE LAST time, I can state quite clearly and explain why this is happening. I'm sorry if you saw this as a attack, but please, you must undestand from my point of view.**

**Okay, look. The indoctrination in Tali is so powerful that it has caused the mind of the 'actual' Tali to be trapped in some kind of prison. The bond she had with Shepard can never be broken, but it can be hidden, and the indoctrination has successfully suppressed the bond. The 'abomination' Tali, the one currently in control of 'actual' Tali's body, is nothing but a genetic coverup, and essentially is a 'newborn baby' and does not remember anything of her former existence as she had none before that. Dav used this to establish a 'fake bond', in which was reinforced by half-dead Harbinger's control, allowing Tali to believe in this bond. Now before you say 'even Dav can't fake a bond, he's quarian', one, huh, does a real quarian execute his own people? He's essentially the Osama Bin Laden of the Quarian race. He's a murderer, convicted rapist and he's commited so many other crimes that he got exiled for it. He's a monster and quite frankly, a disgrace to the quarian race. He doesn't feel the bond, he hates their culture and is more like a batarian then he is quarian. Once again, I apologize if you all took this as a personal attack, I was only trying to tell you how frustrating it is to repeat this to every...single...one of you.**

**Now that, that is cleared up. Enjoy the rest of the story. And please in future, do NOT BRING UP the Tali and Dav thing. Otherwise I will rip my fucking hair out and put this story on hold for 2 weeks. That may sound harsh, but I'm done explaining this to each and everyone of you. I hope you people understand.**

"NO! Go to hell! I will never..." Tali rolled her eyes, a gestured she learned from humans, and hit Joker on the back, toppling him on the ground. They were back on the Normandy, and the Blue Suns were trying to force Joker into piloting it. "You can hit me all you want sweetcheeks, but Shepard's lifemate or not, I will kill you when I get out of here!"

The name Shepard caused more deja vu. She tried to ignore it and then felt another nauseous feeling.  _What is it about this baby that's making me feel so sick?_ She shook the feeling off and turned back to Joker, who is crawling along the deckplates behind her. Placing a foot on his back, she held him on the ground. "You're not making this easy, pilot."

"For godsake it's Joker! Come on Tali, I know you're in there! Fight it! FUCKING FIGHT IT!" Tali just hit him across the back again and pulled him up. "Once you're done playing with you're toy human over there  _Saera,_ I could use some help disassembling these engine parts." Tali turned, still holding Joker and saw Dav approaching.

She smiled, "And then maybe we can have some private time afterwards?" she asked. Dav nodded, "Maybe, if you're a good girl. Now come on, put him back where he belongs, in his cage, and then come and help out at the drive core." With that, Dav walked off.  _Having that pilot here was a mistake. If his efforts were to continue, the Captain would break free of her indoctrination. We can't have that._

Tali then moved to dragging Joker along the floorplates and through the airlock, out of the ship.  _Playing with this pilot, this Joker, really was a waste of time. He's obviously not going to pilot the ship, so we'll find someone else to do it._

After 20 minutes of walking and dragging Joker along, she reached the prison block again. Tossing him in, she closed the door again and locked it. She turned to leave when she heard voices in her head.  _Tali...Tali...Tali...Tali._ She held her head, trying to block out the voices but they kept coming in the same cacophony of sounds, and it hurt her head.

For some reason, the further she got away from the prison blocks, the voices would get lower and lower. Almost as if the prisoners themselves were the cause of it. She shrugged it off and returned to the Normandy.

_Work then play._

...

Shepard gazed out upon Bekenstein, a planet labelled as "humanity's Illium", the planet had taken a large hit when the Reapers invaded, and they still had a long time before they recovered from the conflict, but it would be so. He looked along the planetary circumference and found, dotted around the planet, the outlines of Hackett and Hannah Shepard's fleets.

"It's a pity Gerrel couldn't join us. It'll be a hell of a fight" stated Kal as he approached Shepard from behind, stopping to his left. Shepard smiled and turned to him, "Yeah, the Blue Suns are in for it." Kal nodded in agreement, "Lana's scared that Tali might get killed in the insuing battle. And she might be right, what if she's onboard one of the Blue Suns vessels?"

"Knowing Vido, he wants to hurt me as long as he can. She'll be on Zorya, I know it. If not, he'll pull her out before any real fighting starts." Shepard stated. Kal raised his eyes in impression. "All I know, is that I can't wait to help you kill Dav. Of course, the honor of killing him is up to you and Admiral Raan, but I will help you catch him at least. Tali is like a little sister to me, knew her since childhood, we grew up together. She's as much family to me as she is to you."

"You'll get you're chance Kal, don't you worry. You, and Lana. You'll all hopefully get you're chance. And don't get in Zaeed's way when he goes for Vido, he'll do anything to kill him, he might resort to killing you guys if you try to stop him." Kal nodded in awknowledgement, "Don't worry, I know better then to get in his way. Guys got an ego running. Well, I'd better get to it, Shepard. Lots of work to do, got to help Jacob set up the weapons. See you later."

Patting Shepard on the back, Kal took his leave. Just as Shepard looked up, he saw Raan's patrol fleet exit FTL, with the Tonbay spearheading it. Keying his comm he contacted her, "Shala, you're fleet just arrived. If you'd like to transfer to the Tonbay, I'll have them send over a shuttle to pick you up."

Shala responded instantly, "Thank you John, have them launch one to the airlock. Me and Garu will board it as soon as it gets here. We'll see you in the battlefield. Keelah Se'lai." Shepard replied in kind, "Keelah Se'lai" before breaking the connection. He watched the sight of quarian and alliance ships intermingled. What a terrific sight, quarians and humans fighting side by side. Of course, it wasn't as glorious as the victory fleet at Earth, but it still looked awesome.

Watching carefully, he saw Raan's shuttle arrive at the airlock. He waited for it to depart, but Hannah then contacted him, so he answered. "Yes mum, anything wrong?" Hannah laughed, "I'm commanding an Alliance dreadnought, how could anything go wrong? No, were fine. All systems are checked out and were ready to go. The Blue Suns won't know what hit them. I wanted to see how you're holding up."

Shepard smiled but then lost it as soon as she finished. "I'm worried, mum. Tali, if she gets killed in this battle, I don't know if I could live with that. Knowing that the fleet I assembled was the cause of her death is just to much knowledge for me to withstand." Hannah nodded with sadness, but knew that sharing the same thoughts wouldn't help, so she decided to give him a little confidence booster.

"She won't son, if I know Tali well enough, I'd say she'll say as far away from the battle as possible. She'll only fight if she needs too. Don't worry, you'll get her back." Shepard wanted to retort, but they had truth to them. "Thanks mum, you should probably get back to your fleet, we'll be launching the Zorya assault in T-minus 4 minutes."

Hannah nodded, and broke the connection. Looking back at the Tonbay, seeing it now right beside the Ontarom, he smiled.  _Time to do it._ The Ontarom was currently docked under the Killmanjaro, so when it was time to launch the assault and they broke through the Blue Suns defensive line, they'd drop in and assault the base while the fleets keep the Blue Suns distracted. If lucky, they could knock the Normandy out of the battle before they could deploy it. Failing that, EDI had a little surprise for them.

Moving up to his omnitool he sighed.  _Time to end this. Time to finally get my Tali back. I have not given up on my Saera. Now's the time to show Vido and Dav not to miss with THE Captain Shepard._ He activated it and accessed ship wide comms, stating clearly, "All hands, this is your Captain speaking. I'm calling a General's Quarters. Man you're battlestations immediately."

With that, the Ontarom became a flurry of activity, specialists running to and from the airlock. He moved towards the armory.  _Time to suit up._

...

Ricky was content with his new position. Apparently, the Normandy's original pilot had refused to assist the Blue Suns in piloting the vessel, so instead, well, here he was. Piloting it. The ship had a VI implanted, but they rarely needed it. So now the Normandy was in orbit over Zorya, along with the rest of the 90 strong Blue Suns fleet.

"Did you hear that Vido is moving his command center up here?" Farister stated from next to him, "Apparently the Normandy is now his new flagship. Not surprised, this thing is a dreadnought with ridiculous speed." Ricky smiled and keyed a few buttons in his console.  _Engineering checks out. All systems green. Good. Vido will want a test run._ "Aye, it'll be an honor to be his bridge crew. It's already an honor just to pilot this ship."

They returned to work, but within 2 hours it had gotten very boring. Vido wouldn't be arriving for another 4, as he had things to clear up at the base, so all they could do was sit here. As Ricky looked around his eyes fell on a Fornax Magazine, what looked like the last issue before the Reaper War began, which was left discarded on the deck plates next to him.

"What do we have here. Someone sure liked their porn." He picked up the magazine and began sifting through it, the recognizable pictures of naked asari and human strippers alike. Then his eyes landed on one that he had to rip his eyes away. "OH! WHAT THE FUCK THAT'S NASTY!" Farister snatched the magazine from him and looked.

He wanted to puke. It was a Krogan female stripper. "Someone get me a bucket!" Ricky snatched it back and quickly turned the page. It took 4 pages, but eventually the charade of krogan porn ended. "I can't believe Captain Shepard looked at this stuff. His pilot, whatever." He switched pages to one of quarian female porn.

"Quarians? I thought they had that lifemating crap that they did. Didn't know they were in for porn. By the look of it, these ones are like kids or something. Damn, I always thought quarians were creepy dinosaur things which is why I thought Shepard was insane. But now that I actually see them, they are pretty hot."

"You would think that, you must reptillians." Farister stated, disgusted.  _Sexy or not, quarians are just disgusting animals. Can't wait to make a raid near Rannoch._ Ricky just chuckled, as he closed the magazine, laying it next to him. "Read it later. Anything else to do?" Ricky was getting tired of this. He was payed to shoot and work, not sit around reading porn magazines.

Farister just shrugged, so Ricky was about to get up when the comm started beeping. Sitting back down, he looked at the sender. "It's from the Filais. Isn't that the ship on Mass Relay patrol in the Aquila System?" Farister nodded, "Let's see what they want." Ricky shrugged and pressed the button to open comms.

"BSV Filais, this is BSV Normandy, what do you wish to report?" Ricky asked in his formal way. Blue Suns Vessel. It sounded good. It didn't take long for Captain Grindoll to respond. "Contact Commander Santiago and inform him that were getting a massive energy surge coming through the Relay. Something is coming through and its big."

"Copy that, Filais. Can you give any hint as to what?" Ricky asked. Something didn't feel right about this. Most ships had learnt to stay away from the Ismar Frontier, they knew it as Blue Suns terf, they wouldn't risk it, so who was.  _Shepard maybe? He wouldn't attack in a Corsair would he?_

"Unknown...wait...here it comes." They waited for a couple of seconds before an explosion was heard and the comms went silent. Ricky and Farister glanced at each other before Ricky leaned in, "Filais? Filais, respond. Come in Filais." Nothing. Not a sound. They were gone. "Contact Vido, tell him what happened. I recommend assembling the fleet. Something might be on its way here."

Farister nodded and sent the message to Vido for sanction to assemble the fleet. Ricky turned back.  _If Shepard's attacking, he won't stand a chance. The Filais was just another Corsair, an easy kill for him. The rest of our fleet and the Normandy won't be so easy, he must know that._

"Message sent, just waiting for..." Ricky's comms beeped again, but this time with a proximity alert. It beeped more furiously as multiple contacts dropped out of FTL. Looking up slowly, he was looking upon a Alliance fleet and... _Shit, Shepard brought a dreadnought. More desperate then I thought._ And he wasn't finished. Soon, a quarian fleet joined them too.  _Of course he'd go running to the thieves._

Following assigned procedure, the fleet assumed combat formation. Soon, the 90 Blue suns vessels were face to face with an Alliance Dreadnought and a Alliance plus quarian fleet. Before he could contact the fleet to fire, he heard the console beep again. "Its...the enemy dreadnought...their contacting us."

"Let's hear it." Farister stated as Ricky opened the channel. A all to familiar voice came up, "Blue Suns fleet, you're assault on Bustan Hospital was a unprovoked attack against the Systems Alliance and the abduction of Lieutenant Tali'Shepard vas Normandy was a direct violation of the Galactic Pact. This was seen has a open act of hostility towards the Systems Alliance and the Quarian Republic. You have two choices now: You can surrender and await incarceration, or you can fight, and we will have you're fleet obliderated. You have 10 seconds to reply. Killing Tali'Shepard will also result in you're obilderation."

Ricky thought long and hard. Not on what option, but on how to blow that ship to pieces. They had the Normandy, no Dreadnought would scare him.  _Quarian Republic? Damn quarians and Rannoch. Next they'll be saying 'the Quarian Imperium' or 'Quarian Protectorate.'_ With his mind made up he shouted three simple words which decided their fate. "Go...to...hell."

A new voice entered, one he recognized well. Shepard, "I was hoping you'd say that. Now I can watch as I take my ship back. And trust me, I don't like it when people take what belongs to me. You've taken two things, and I intend to take those back."

Ricky laughed just as the first shot was fired. It was a alliance cruiser, it fired a single MAC round, destroying the BSV Persia, bits of debris flew into nearby vessels, causing either hull breaches or just crippling it. Blue Suns ships were simple, no shields on them. Well, except for the Australia and Normandy.

Vido's voice boomed through the whole fleet, "KILL THEM ALL."

And with that, both fleets opened fire, their shots cutting through space, and impacting on their targets. The Battle of Zorya had begun.

...

"Coordinate fire with the Ikarai and Koleps, give the rest of the fleet a firing lane. Zepha, bring us within firing range of the Blue Suns vessel, but keep a lookout for the Normandy. I don't want it getting the better of us" Raan ordered. Every quarian on the bridge moved about their stations, doing their assigned tasks.

She watched as the Tonbay moved alongside the Ikarai and Koleps, the three of them firing upon the Blue Suns defensive line. Their shots hit two of their ships, one getting destroyed in the hail of fire and another getting crippled. The third made evasive maneveurs, avoiding the shots.

Seeing the Koleps was closest, she signalled it to attack the escaping vessel. She sat in the Captain's chair, silently watching the battle insue around her. The Blue Suns weren't going to back down any time soon. The Koleps prepared to use her forward guns to gut the escaping vessel, but was taken by surprise as it changed course and headed straight for it.

The Captain of the Koleps attempted a full broadside, allowing it to gut it with its starboard weapons, but it was too late. The Blue Suns vessel smashed into the Koleps' starboard side, causing both ships significant damage. The Blue Suns ship was destroyed by the impact, but the Koleps was left severely crippled. A massive hull breach located at the front of the ship left the Koleps drifting.

In its final death throws, the Koleps launched its escape pods, and the Ikarai went to recover them. Tiny explosions riddled the ship, causing the Koleps to look like a lit up  _Duski._  "Admiral! The Koleps captain is still alive! We told her to abandon ship, but he wouldn't listen! The impact killed his lifemate! He's planning to..." she stopped as they watched the Koleps accellerate into a nearby converted cruiser.

This time the impact destroyed both ships, explosions enveloped the space around them, debris shooting in all directions. The Ikarai had only finished collecting escape pods when Blue Suns fighters and two frigates converged on it. "Move to assist! Move our ship into position to assist!" Raan shouted as the Tonbay moved forward. What happened next made her panic sink.

The fighters randomly exploded and both frigates were left destroyed by a quick lash of fire. Both commanders, on the Tonbay and Ikarai alike, stood confused. Then came the next surprise. A geth frigate zoomed over both ships, heading straight into the heart of the Blue Suns fleet. Followed by another 4 before joined by quarian dreadnought and a number of reinforcements. A familiar voice came over the comms.

"Raan, how's the battle going? Hope I'm not late." Raan smiled, "Admiral Gerrel! You came! I'm guessing Legion offered support as well." The reply that came confirmed her thoughts, "Admiral Shala'Raan, the geth stand in a position of assistance. Our ships will lay waste to the Blue Suns." Raan nodded. There would be time for talk later.

The Ikarai joined the 2 geth frigates to their port and helped the Killmanjaro push through the Blue Suns left flank. The Tonbay moved into escort position for the Rayya. She gazed upon it. What was once a ship made to insure the survival of her species, had been converted into a flying fortress. The ship was 'armed to the teeth' as humans would say, as it was covered in ship-to-ship weaponry, anti-ship pulse lasers, javelin torpedoes and whatever else could be put on it. It was a force no ship stands up too.

She watched as the Rayya mercilessly and casually cut through the Blue Suns line, ramming any ships that were stupid enough to remain stationary, and blasting those that did move. It stayed this way until two streaks of light impacted on the Rayya's thick hull. This caused no hull breach, but bits of armor plating had been blown off.

Looking up, she saw the majestic shape of the Normandy gliding through the fabric of space, down the side of the Rayya and to its starboard side. The Rayya retaliated, but the majority of its shots either bounced off the ship's shields, or just missed completely.

"This is Admiral Raan to Killmanjaro, the Rayya and Tonbay have engaged the Normandy, I repeat, we have engaged the Normandy." She stopped as two more javelin torpedoes bounced off the Rayya's hull, and the Normandy wizzed past the Tonbay. She was confused.  _Why weren't they using the Thanix Cannon? That thing would destroy the Rayya in two shots, maybe less._ Or maybe they didn't know the Normandy had it. Good, at least the battle was fair.

"Copy that Tonbay, we have assitance inbound."  _Assistance? What kind of assistance?_ She stopped that thought as the Normandy suddenly stopped moving. What happened next defied what she thought was possible.

The Normandy begun spinning around in spastic patterns before accellerating straight into a nearby merc cruiser. This left the Normandy so severely damaged, she could of sworn the ship should have fallen apart.  _Maybe its that Silaris Armor._ The Cruiser didn't fair so well though, it was put out of action.

Just what did Shepard do?

...

Ricky smiled as he watched another couple of shots hit the 'soccerball's hull'. The ship then zoomed back past another vessel before performing a 360 spin. "Farister, how 'bout we target that ship we just passed. Easy kill."

Farister nodded and shifted the ship fully so they faced the Tonbay. "Prepping Torpedoes. Okay, ready. Firing..." Before anyone knew what was going on, the whole ship went dark. Lights died out, consoles turned off. The orange glow of holographic panels just died out as they disappeared. Ricky looked at Farister, baffled.

"What the fuck just happened..." He was interrupted by a feminine synthesized voice, "Attention Blue Suns pilots. This is EDI speaking." Ricky rolled his eyes, "This synthetic bitch..." EDI interrupted him, "You, I believe are piloting my ship. Joker's ship. I don't like it when people take my ship."

Ricky just laughed saying, "And what are you going to do about it!?" EDI smiled, "I'll take back my ship of course. I have full control of its systems."  _She's bluffing._ "You're bluffing." EDI chuckled for the first time she could remember, "I turned off the lights didn't I?"  _Oh shit. That was her._ "OH FUCK! ESCAPE PO..." He didn't get to finish.

The ship spun erratically before zooming in on a Cruiser.  _OH SHIT..._ EDI's last words were, "Goodbye, have a pleasant day...in hell." Ricky closed his eyes as he awaited the coming impact. It came, and the last thing he felt before dying, was a MASSIVE pain all around him.

...

Shepard half smiled as he watched the Normandy fall apart from the impact. "Damn, I'll miss the Normandy. One hell of a ship." EDI smiled, "Don't worry Shepard, she can be rebuilt." Shepard just sighed,  _It'll never be the same._ Shaking away these thoughts, he looked at his team. Soon the Blue Suns fleet would lay in ruin, and the final ground assault could begin.

He smiled and turned back to watch the battle from the bridge of the Ontarom. The Blue Suns were 90 strong when they arrived, now they had less than 36 vessels left, the initial assault and the unprecedented arrival of Legion and Gerrel's backup forces had decimated the Blue Suns. Their mish-mash of converted tugs and merchant vessels were no match for proper warships.

The Normandy had been the only major setback, but with it dealt with, the battle now lay in their favor. There had been no doubt that was Vido's flagship, and with it gone, the Blue Suns' morale would be dropping and routing would ensue. The Killmanjaro and Rayya worked in unison, both dealing glorious damage to the enemy fleet. Everywhere he looked, the wreckages of Blue Suns vessels lay scattered and destroyed, some still barely operational, but either abandoned by their crew, or their crew was dead, killed by hull breaches or non impact-weapons fire.

He hated the sight of death around him, but this brought him happiness. The more Blue Suns bastards that suffered, the better. He continued to watch as the Killmanjaro continued pushing through towards Zorya. Eventually, they had reached the planet's atmosphere before they stopped. He didn't need Hannah to tell him it was time to go. He nodded at Lana and before anyone could speak, the Ontarom dropped into Zorya's atmosphere.

The whole ship shook as they continued. Turning to his team, "Get to the shuttle! Now! This is nothing but a little present for Vido!" Nodding, they all ran for the airlock. Shepard took one look at the Ontarom before continuing to the airlock.  _Happy Deathday Vido. Enjoy._ The Ontarom continued to drop as he neared the airlock.

 **Roshnel:** Curse Word used by quarians to describe traitors. The word was developed around the time of the Rannochian Civil Wars, essentially around the time of the quarian's 'medieval' age. Literal Translation: Traitorous Citizen.

 **Saera:** Term used when speaking to ones lifemate. Literal translation: My souls soul. Other meanings include, but are not limited to: Keeper of my soul and My souls protector. Most commonly used word throughout the fleet by a quarian when speaking privately to their lifemate. Though unconfirmed by any quarian, there are implications that this word holds extreme intimacy as well as absolute trust. No single human word or phrase encompassed all that this one short word implies as it appears to contain both dominance and submissive traits.

**I know you're probably hating the cliffhanger I just left you. But come on, is a full day really a long wait? :/**


	18. Retribution, Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The surface phase of the invasion begins. Shepard closes in on Tali, Vido and Dav.

_**Retribution Part 1** _

The Ontarom shook heavily as the force of the atmospheric entry fully registered. Hull plating buckled and creaked, the moans and protesting of the ship could be heard by all the ship's crew. The sounds of the intense flaming heat on the hull could also be heard, a terrifying sound indeed.

Shepard waited until everyone was on their assigned shuttles before entering his. Four teams had been assigned to assault the base from different directions. His team of course would have one singular goal in mind: Save Tali. Hitting the door's closing button, he turned to the pilot and nodded. The pilot nodded back and looked back at his console. Almost immediately, he felt the whole Shuttle elevate and shoot out of the Ontarom's airlock.

The pilot brought the shuttle about, allowing the occupants to watch as the Ontarom continued to plummet towards the planet's surface. Shepard smiled as Zaeed asked, "Just what did you mean by 'leaving Vido a present?'" Shepard, still visibly smiling, turned to answer Zaeed, "It's his deathday Zaeed, it's customary to give the person something to die by. In this case, he's going to have one hell of a alarm clock when that Corsair lands on his roof." Zaeed laughed.

"So you mean you...?" Shepard nodded very slowly and turned to look at the flaming corsair. Turning back with an even larger grin he said simply, "Falling Corsairs anyone?"

...

Beatrice was starting to get real sick of guard duty. She had heard that Captain Zorah and Dav got all the good assignments. They even brought back the Normandy. She had to give it to the quarian, she did good. She checked her weapon for the third time this past 6 minutes and looked back up at the sky.

Dotted along its expanse were the tiny occasional flickers of explosions, their ships and the alliance and republican warships engaged in combat. She knew it was a lost fight from the beginning. Even with the Normandy, the Alliance and Quarians still had superior firepower and better equipped ships. Plus now, as she had hacked into communications, the geth had arrived and the Normandy had been destroyed.

Very soon, the battle would arrive here, and she would be ready to hold off as many alliance, quarian and geth troops as she could. Odd though, she could have sworn the geth were extinct. She shrugged it off before unwrapping another energy bar and biting into it. It's bitter taste upset her stomach to the point that she just tossed it over the edge.

 _Vido really should send people to Omega to get better food rations._ She made grunting sounds to indicate her displeasure in the food and then returned to gazing upon the sky's expanse. However, something new now occupied the sky. A giant flaming object looming right over the base. She widened her eyes. It was getting closer.

 _What the hell is that?_ She raised her rifle and looked down the scope. She saw a Corsair, it's ventral thrusters obviously out of operation, it was Blue Suns by the look of the mish-mash of armor plating and it was crashing towards her position. She then spotted the initials of the ship's name.  _Oh shit, the Ontarom. But that means...!"_

She did a backward roll just as the Corsair slammed into the base's main hangar, setting off all alarms base wide. She was thrown 5 meters into a duct before slidding back into the ground. She shook her head to clear her lightheadedness. As she got up, picking up her rifle and pointing it at the smoldering wreckage, Dav yelled into her mic, loudly.

"BEATRICE, WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON!?" Beatrice replied but hurriedly, "The Ontarom, Shepard just crashed it right into the Hangar. It's gone, but there is no way he survived that crash..." She heard the hum of 4 shuttle's thrusters and looking up saw, well, exactly 4 Alliance shuttles zooming to different parts of the base.

"Scratch that, Shepard is attacking with 4 shuttles. He's raiding the base, recommend Battle Position Zeta, send in everyone!" She then dropped the comms and barrelled over the side of the building, landing on the building 3 meters below. She equipped her sniper rifle and looked towards where the second shuttle landed, near the barracks.

Sighting down the scope, she spotted her enemy. A turian with a sniper rifle jumped out and stood to his right as a massive krogan stepped out, followed by a huge armored human, a human covered in tattoes and a...weird looking alien with a head like a Collector. She aimed for the Turian's head.

Then she was surprised as the human with tattoes reached up to her omnitool and pressed something. Within an instant, a loud song began playing in her omnitool. She covered her ears, dropping the sniper rifle. It was transmitting to every merc in the area. A beat followed first pursued by the words "Oppa Gangnam Style". A bunch of unintellgible words, likely Korean, began playing as she tried to block it out.

With all the might she could, she picked up her sniper rifle and aimed at the human with tattoes. She aimed at her head but didn't even get to pull the trigger as everything went black. The last words she heard were "ehhhhhh...sexy lady."

At the shuttle, Jack turned away from her omnitool to Garrus. Smiling, Garrus reloaded his rifle, saying as he went, "Scoped and dropped. Just what is that song? I've never heard the language." Jack smiled, "It's an old earth song, at least a century old. It's called Gangnam Style and it was made by this human who spoke a language called Korean. That's why the song isn't in english."

Garrus nodded, but before he could answer Shepard's voice came through the comm, "If you're done playing with songs, these mercs could do with some killing." Nodding, he motioned for Jack, Chief, Wrex and Javik to start moving. Chief stopped and looked at Jack, "A century old? Just what is the year?" Jack stopped and looked at him, amused.

"What galaxy do you live in? Or are you just fucking stupid? It's 2186." Chief widened his eyes in shock. Cortana giggled, "Wow, where I came from, the year was 2557." Garrus just stood frozen, "That's 4 centuries in the future! DAMN! If all humans in the future wear that armor, then I can imagine what we turians are like."

About to answer, Shepard told them, in his own irritated way, to hurry the hell up. Nodding, Garrus pushed them along. Together, they stormed the barracks.

...

The merc went flying across the room and into a pile of containers, crushed by them. "Strike one!" Miranda shouted as two more mercs attempted a retreat.  _Oh no you don't._ Kasumi moved out, under her cloak and slipped behind the slower merc, grabbing his head with her elbow and slitting his throat with her knife.

Kasumi moved to kill the second merc, but sighed when Jacob got there first. The merc toppled sideways, a clean bloody hole left in the side of his head. Jacob reloaded his pistol and waited for Miranda to move up. Kasumi leapt back behind the crate Jacob was using for cover and waited for Miranda to arrive.

Instead, two crates flew over their heads, knocking over the cover the mercs were using. Exposed, the four mercs stood no chance as Miranda, Jacob and Kasumi's combined firepower ripped them to shreds. With noone in the room, nothing stopped the sound of creaking support struts. "The crashing of the Ontarom really weakened this area's integrity. We should leave. Head for the objective" Kasumi stated, reloading her SMG.

"Agreed, come on, we can use that ladder over there to cross into the cargo corridors. Taking that, we can reach our objective, the base's fusion plant." Jacob stated back. They all nodded simultaneously and on Jacob's final nod, they leapt over their cover and were surprised to only have to kill a single merc, who had been a engineer who took the wrong time to investigate the gunfire.

Jacob was the first to rush up the ladder, followed by Kasumi then finally, Miranda. Once at the top, they all continued up until reaching a door labelled "Cargo Corridor: Heavy Lift Vehicles Only." Ignoring the sign for obvious reasons, Kasumi began hacking into its controls. Once it opened a very surprised merc in a forklift turned to them.

Jacob didn't hesitate for a second, and emptied three shots into the merc, killing her. The merc fell out of the forklift as Kasumi and Miranda moved into the long corridor. It was at least 20 meters in width, the length was another story. The whole corridor was illuminated by a orange-crimson light.

Looking at the blast door in front of them, Miranda tried to move it with her biotics. It didn't work. Seeing this, Kasumi attempted to hack it. A mocking laugh came over the loudspeaker, "Give it up. You humans try to hard." The voice belonged to Dav. The only answer was Jacob's retailated laughter, "Sometimes trying to hard makes you come up with crazy things. Like right now! You two, move!"

They turned to see Jacob barrelling towards them in the forklift. It held a bomb. Wide eyed they both leapt sideways, Kasumi to her right and Miranda to her left, and Jacob jumped out of the forklift just as it slammed into the blast door. The explosion was loud and pierced the air, but it did its job. The forklift was completely destroyed in the blast, but a large 6 meter by width and height hole had been left.

Peeking through, they saw the debris had crushed two mercs and the explosion had killed 3 others. Two very surprised mercs were very quickly cut down by Kasumi has she rushed in to clear the area. Nothing. Just a door and a VERY long corridor. "We should take this door, see where it takes us" she said.

"Agreed, this time, warn us when you decide to charge in with forklifts. Especially ones carrying explosives." Miranda said, speaking to Jacob, before she followed Kasumi to the door. Jacob gave her a big grin, "What can I say, I love to blow up stuff." He ran after them, stopping in front of the door, scimitar shotgun at the ready.

Nodding to first Miranda then Kasumi, the latter hacked into and unlocked the door, opening it. A dimly lit room was all that awaited them. Not a merc in sight. It was quiet too, a little too quiet. "Kasumi, scout out the room ahead. Clear any hostiles if you can. Give us the all clear when you're done."

Nodding, Kasumi activated her tactical cloak and ran in. She rolled behind a crate, checking first to make sure no mercs were waiting for her. Sure that no surprises awaited her, she leapt out and ran across the room for 10 meters before she spotted a flash of light up above. "Sniper, on the catwalk. Miranda, move in and neatralize with biotics. I'll take him out." Aknowledging her, Miranda moved out and, using her biotics, caused the whole catwalk to collapse.

The sniper, taken by surprise desperately tried to save himself, but was too unbalanced, and the batarian fell to the ground, his sniper rifle skidding to a halt next to Kasumi. Kicking it away, Kasumi moved in like a cheetah would on a unsuspecting victim, and stabbed the batarian in the scalp, killing him instantly. Her cloak then deactivated, its period run out.

"That would of awoken every merc in the vicinity, you might want to take positions so we can ambush any investigators" Kasumi stated, moving towards another field of crates nearby. Her suspicions confirmed, a large platoon of mercs emptied out onto the ground, spreading out to search for the intruder. They were greeted by a hail of gunfire and crates coming from Miranda and Jacob.

The mercs took defensive positions, unknowningly under the remainder of the catwalk. Smiling, Kasumi leapt up and shot the remaining support strut, causing it to start falling towards the oblivious mercs.

...

The YMIR Mech fired off a second rocket. It homed in on Ashley, who was out in the open, unable to find a shield from the blast. But in the last few seconds of the missile's impact, a biotic field erupted in front of her, causing the rocket to explode. Samara, followed by Liara leapt out from behind her, assaulting the mech with numerous biotic attacks.

Ashley rushed in to help, signalling Grunt to do what he did best. Smiling a krogan smile, Grunt equipped his claymore and charged forward. The charge and impact of Grunt's attack caused the mech to lose balance and it stumbled backwards, allowing Samara and Liara to push it over with their biotics. The YMIR crashed into the ground, and Grunt leapt ontop of it, ramming his claymore into its eye piece and pulling the trigger.

The mech's head exploded, debris flying in all directions. The recognizable sound of a timer counting down could be heard and smiling even more, Grunt leapt of the merc as Samara and Liara picked it up and hurled it at a approaching squad of mercs. Landing squarely on its expiration, the mech exploded, either ripping the merc's apart completely, or sending them flying into walls, dead.

Quickly making sure the mercs didn't have any other surprises waiting for them, Ashley signalled for he squad to advance on the doorway. Once all 4 were there, they advanced down the stairwell only to be confronted by a batarian.

Sulak's eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the Asari Justicar, Shadow Broker, Tank-bred Krogan and Human Spectre coming down the stairs. Signalling his men to fire, he moved towards cover. One of his men was immediately lifted off the ground and into a wall, his chest ripped open by a Claymore shot.

Grunt laughed hysterically as he reloaded and Ashley headbutted a unlucky merc before gunning him down. Sulak got up and fired his gun, letting his bullets join the festival of gunfire. Bullets flew all around them. Samara lifted two mercs off the ground and threw them into a third, before gunning them all down.

Liara caught a fourth in stasis, then gunned down a fifth and sixth. Once the stasis evaporated, Liara opened a new mouth in the merc's head. With only two mercs left, not including Sulak, he decided to leave this fight for another day. But when he got up to fire a final shot, he wished he had just ran.

The last two of his men crashed into him, their bodies ripped open a single claymore round. He pushed the bodies off of him but before he could even move any further, his body was intangled by a blue energy and he was lifted into the air. His eyes gazed into Liara's, but she did not waver. The batarian looked at the Grunt, who had his claymore ready.

Then he felt himself being moved towards the edge. Before he could even find out why, the blue energy disappeared and he went freefalling over the edge of the staircase. His final death cry was that could be heard until the sounds of bones cracking on solid concrete, 12 floors below.

Looking over to insure he was dead, Liara turned and nodded to Ashley. Content that the batarian was indeed dead, Ashley signalled the others to follow close behind her. Vido's voice boomed through the overhead speakers, his voice loud and unflinching, "Listen here you Alliance maggots, you will not take another step or I will kill Tali'Shepard right now. Back off now."

Ashley pondered this for a second before laughing out. "What are you laughing at? I said I'LL KILL HER!" Ashley just continued laughing until she stopped and looked directly at the speaker, "You're bluffing. No, you're lying." Vido didn't answer for a second. "I'm not bluffing, I will kill her! Back off now or I'll...!"

Ashley cut him off, "Do what Vido? Tali isn't there, you're using her as a weapon to get us to back off. Besides, since when would you call her Tali'Shepard?" She shot the speaker with her Avenger before reloading. "What if he's not lying? He will kill her." Liara stated clearly, but with worry. Ashley turned and grinned, "Are we talking about the same Tali here? It's Tali for peatsake, she's a goddamn godzilla with a shotgun. I'd like to see Vido try and kill her."

Before she could continue, a massive explosion was heard as more mercs approached their position. Reloading her rifle, she said simply, "Now how about we give these mercs a taste of their own medicine?"

...

"Tali, hurry up, Vido wants a status update on Project: Primordial! He says this attack on our base will allow him to test it." Tali didn't even look at Dav as he walked in, she was too concentrated on this project. She nodded, "It's just about finished. Just one more installment, and it will be ready for combat use."

Dav nodded and smiled, "Good, Vido wants us to haul up here. He doesn't want us to join the fighting until nessacary. He'll deal with Shepard." Something inside her was screaming at her to join the fight and for reasons she was ashamed of, join him in battle. She shook these thoughts away as she waited for the final update. Receiving it, she said clearly, looking at Dav. "It's ready. Project: Primordial is ready."

Nodding, he keyed the comms for Vido's. "Sir, Primordial is finished. It's ready to be unleashed on Shepard sir." Vido smiled as he responded, "Good. However, I've just learnt Shepard isn't moving as a single team. He was four teams throughout our base and they are decimating our defenses."

"Do you want us to move in to finish him off?" Dav asked. Tali, once again, had this sudden urge to pull out her pistol and shoot him in the head.  _How can I be thinking about killing my lifemate! What's gotten into me!_ "Negative, stay where you are. Shepard can have his fun for now, but when I move in with Primordial, I'll finish him myself. Besides, I decided its time I got rid of him and Zaeed, once and for all."

Nodding, Dav cut the comms. "Okay, well Vido is currently preparing to ambush Shepard. He's heading right into our trap and he doesn't even know it. He wants us to stay here though, safer that way." Tali nodded and turned off her console, tapping her visor with Dav's. She hugged him before breaking off and equipping her shotgun.

"Anyone tries to get in, and they get my shotgun in their face." Tali said, trying to sound confident, but her voice betrayed her. It was one of self-doubt. Dav put a hand on her left shoulder, "What's wrong? You sound wavery." Looking up into his eyes Tali just said, "Nothing. Just a little worried about our reinforcements that's all. We can't take on Shepard and his team alone."

"Don't worry, Vido will deal with him, don't you worry about that." Tali nodded and moved towards another console, "I should get back to work, you know, just to make sure Primordial doesn't have any flaws. Odd that he wants to name it "Hastati" though." She was glad Dav let it drop, she really didn't want to tell even him how she felt. Why she refused to tell her lifemate things like this confused her. It's like her mind was distrustful of him, why?

"It's probably an old earth term or something. Doesn't matter though, all I know is that it will destroy Shepard for sure." Tali nodded in agreement and turned back to her console. Dav just hugged her tightly as she worked, her body both welcoming it, and wanting to kill him for it. She really needed to get that sorted out.

...

"Captain! Incoming!" Hearing this, Shepard dived out of his cover and down behind the rightward cover next to him, avoiding the explosion of the missile. "Thanks Kal." Jumping up, he fired his Mattock, scoring a direct hit on the Heavy merc's left shoulder, causing them to yelp in pain. Not wasting any time, he followed it up with a shot to the chest, downing the merc for good.

He paused to reload just as Lana unleashed her combat drone on another squad of mercs. Zaeed followed her attack with a inferno grenade, scoring a direct hit on a centurion. The turian yelled in pain as the flame enveloped him, but Lana's drone quickly ended his suffering. Moving out of cover, Kal fired his grenade launcher to finish off the mercs, but only managed to kill two mercs instead of all six.

With only 4 mercs left, Shepard switched to his Geth Plasma SMG and moved to rip into the remaining mercs, but spotted a explosive canister. Instead, he shot the canister, causing it to explode and kill the remaining mercs. Jumping over his cover, Shepard scanned the terrain only to be welcomed by a sniper shot from a turian merc. Before he could respond, the turian was lifted off the ground by the explosion of a grenade and fell to his death.

Turning, he saw Kal reload his grenade launcher and just smiled. Once everyone had slapped in new thermal clips, Shepard ran through the open doorway to his left and erupted into a small hangar. A single fighter stood, parked. On the opposite side, was the way to continue, but it was blocked by a blast door. Knowing they couldn't get through the blast door without sheer force, he decided to get EDI to use hack into the console and try the fighter notion again.

Once again, it worked, as expected, and the fighter smashed through the door, killing anyone behind it. EDI stepped through first, welcomed by the sight of a dozen dead or wounded mercs. She quickly picked off the survivors, and motioned for the others to follow her. Once past the blast door, they came across a long service corridor. "EDI, how long is this corridor?" EDI activated her omnitool and brought up a schematic. Deactivating it, she looked up, "It runs the length of the base. According to this, it leads to Vido's offices, engineering and the Special Projects Facility."

"Exactly where we need to go. Take us there EDI. Radio the other teams and tell them once objectives are completed, to rally at that location." Shepard stated clearly before motioning the team to follow him. After radioing the other teams, EDI took the lead, leading them down the long corridor.

Rounding the corner, they encountered 2 platoons and 3 YMIR Mechs guarding the corridor, waiting for them. The center YMIR opened fire immediately, almost cutting into EDI if not for Lana leaping onto her, throwing her out of the way. After helping EDI up, they both joined Kal, Shepard and Zaeed behind cover, hails of bullets flying past. "Their force is too strong. We need to..." Lana began, but noticing Shepard's smile, replaced her serious tone with one of playfulness, "What are you thinking?"

Shepard reached up to his omnitool and said, "Time for a little surprise."

...

"Admiral Gerrel! The Blue Suns are attempting a tactical withdrawal! Recommend sending the Rayya to block their escape, give our ships time to catch up! The Alliance vessels are currently rallying in Zorya's atmosphere!" Shala stated clearly, as she watched the 17 fleeing Blue Suns ships.

"Negative, the Rayya will be too slow in response. I'm moving in with the Neema, I'll see if I can stop them. Wusii, Petilla, Diblit! Follow me!" She watched as all four vessels, the Neema spearheading them, began shifting in front of the Blue Suns retreat. Deciding to continue fleeing instead of fight, the Blue Suns changed course and unknowingly fled straight into the Rayya's main guns.

The Rayya opened fire immediately, decimating six Blue Suns frigates and cruisers in a single salvo. The remaining 11 attempted a total retreat, but found themselves facing her Tonbay, the Ikarai and her other four escorts. Trapped and outgunned, the Blue Suns did the unexpected. Instead of surrendering, they just fought to the death. Honor in mercs was very rare. Nonetheless, these people had taken her Tali, and she offered no mercy. Joining her shots with the already launched salvos of the Neema battlegroup and the Rayya, her battlegroup lay waste to the Blue Suns. Within seconds, the last merc vessels just floated through space, lifeless husks.

"Contact the rest of the fleet, tell them to rally at the Rayya. Tell the Rayya to rally at the Killmanjaro." She took a deep sigh. With the Blue Suns fleet in ruin, it was all up to Shepard and his ground teams now. Not that she expected him to fail. She watched as the Rayya shifted course towards the Alliance fleet, as did every other ship, including hers. "Admiral Raan, you have communique coming in from Captain Shepard" her comms officer stated.

"Put it through to my headset." Activating her dedicated channel, she heard Shepard's voice, "Shala, do you hear me?" Shala nodded, "I hear you, John. We've just destroyed what's left of the Blue Suns fleet, were rallying above Vido's base now." Raan could hear the tell tale sounds of gunfire and explosions and Lana's occassional "Bosh'tet!" along with the thumping sound of Kal's Grenade Launcher firing.

"I'm sending you our enemy's exact coordinates, pound them." Raan widened her eyes. She knew what he meant, and it was suicide. "You want me to fire near you're location? One miss and you could all be killed!" Raan waited for Shepard's answer. "Then make sure you don't. Shepard out." Raan cursed under her breath before switching back to her crew channel.

Sighing, she ordered, "Turn us around, bring us on..." checking her omnitool again, "Heading 2-33-7.917." One of the helmsman turned to her, "Ma'am, that brings us to a position to fire on Vido's base." Raan nodded, "Exactly. Prep the bow guns, fire at these coordinates on my mark." The ship finally stopped at its location and the gunner readied the weapons. Once he was sure they were ready, he looked back at Raan.

"Admiral Raan, bow guns ready. Waiting for you're command." Raan felt sweat appear on her face. She couldn't wipe it off, so she just looked intently at her displays. "Fire." The sound of the Tonbay's main weapons firing rebounded throughout the ship, streaks of orange, molten-hot shells descending towards Zorya's surface. Silently, Raan prayed to the Ancestors that she didn't miss.

...

Shepard patiently waited for Shala's shots to impact. He couldn't tell if the sound was being deafened by the merc's gunfire, or if Shala just hadn't fired yet.  _Or if she would._ He reloaded his Geth Plasma Shotgun,  _Tali's_  Geth Plasma Shotgun, and then jumped up firing another three potshots. As he got back behind his cover, he heard the rebounded scream of a merc getting engulfed by the plasma could be heard.

"INCOMING!" He heard a merc say just before a gigantic explosion was heard and a blast of wind punctured the air and he felt searing heat singe his skin in uncomfortable ways. Looking up, he found an entire section of the corridor in complete ruin, destroyed by the impact of Shala's shells.  _Told you. I knew you wouldn't miss._ What had been left of the mercs was completely incinerated and the mechs were completely gone.

They moved slowly through the wreckage. It was a complete mess, nothing left, just a large open corridor exposed to the sunlight that illuminated it from the outside. A sun rapidly retreating, night was approaching. He picked up the pace as he continued to run through the base's interior. Once he was positive he had reached the area he wanted, he waited for EDI, Lana and Kal to catch up.

Once they took position on each side of the door, they entered. They were now inside the Special Project's Facility. Just in front of them were 5 mercs who were chatting to themselves before the door opened. They turned to see them, but were too late to react to their presence as they could only equip their weapons before being gunned down by both Kal and himself.

Just above the words 'ENGINEERING' could be seen. Up there, was Tali. And that scumbag quarian who was going to pay for everything he had done to her. He moved slowly towards the center. Something didn't feel right. Wouldn't Tali have more guards? Something didn't feel right at all.

Confirming his suspisions, all the door's haptic interfaces flashed red to indicate they were locked. This was a trap. Seeing Vido's face appear on a screen above, his face contorted in rage. Not at Vido, but at himself.  _I was so eager to save Tali that I forgot to check for traps!_ Vido laughed mockingly, "Hope you like my base Shepard, you're body will be living in it for quite awhile."

"Fuck you, Vido. I will get Tali back, you can try and kill me all you want, but when I get out of here, I'll kill Dav, and..." Zaeed butted in, "Vido, still the piece of shit you always were. Don't worry, you'll get my share of bullets in you're head, you scumbag." He readied his sniper rifle.

"And Zaeed Massani, I was hoping to get a shot at you. Don't worry, you'll get you're chance to fight me. Right now a matter of fact. By now, you probably know that Captain Zorah was helping me with a little project." Shepard growled menacingly.  _Captain Zorah. Not only had he basically announced that she was part of the Blue Suns, but he had even taken away her real clan name. This asshole is going to rot in hell when I'm done with him._

In sheer anger, Shepard fired his Mattock at the screen, inflicting negligible damage. It wasn't meant too, he was sending a message, "ASSHOLE! GIVE HER BACK!" Zaeed stood next to him, as did EDI, Lana and Kal. Vido just chuckled, "No can do Shepard, she's mine now. Mine to use and discard at my will. Now I think its time I ended this, personally. I'd like to present to you, PROJECT: PRIMORDIAL!"

Looking up as they hear the sound of a rapidly descending machine, Vido's screen is shattered as gigantic object crashes through it and lands 5 meters from them. The impact causes Shepard and Zaeed to lose balance, and fall over. Lana is caught falling by Kal and EDI doesn't even budge, she just gazes at the objec, which seems to be rising up.

Shepard and Zaeed got up as what looked like arms extended from the object, followed by tall, thick, machine legs. Giant cannons and what looked like bits of the Normandy's Thanix Cannon extended from its arms, unveiling a deadly arsenal. The word "Hastati" were clearly visible on the object's lower half. It was obvious what this thing was.  _A Atlas mech. But not just any Atlas mech, this thing's been modded with..._ He looked closer at the design,  _Reaper tech._

Sitting visibly in the driver's seat, Vido just smiled down at Shepard and Zaeed. "Say hello to Hastati, now you must take you're leave. Me and Captain Zorah have much to do!" With out a second thought, Hastati charged forward. Everyone jumped out of the way, but Lana was glued to the spot, terrified. "LANA! MOVE!" Kal shouted, quickly running back to her.

She looked at him, a fatal mistake. She tried to look back, but all she felt was the hit of one of Hastati's arms in her stomach, sending her flying across the room into a wall, knocking her out cold. "LANA! NO!" Kal stopped and looked at Lana's lifeless body.  _She can't be dead. She can't...please._ Kal charged at Hastati who's attention was now drawn to him as EDI checked out Lana's pulse.

Seeing that Lana was indeed alive, she sighed in a sigh of relief. She then dragged Lana's sleeping form to cover. Glancing over, she saw Kal leap onto the back of Hastati, causing Vido to try and rip him off. Kal continued to climb up the juggernaut's back, and finally reached what looked like a weak point.

Kal moved to rip at it, his primal rage over coming him, but Hastati leaned forward suddenly, causing Kal to stagger and lose his grip. Falling off Hastati's back and onto the ground. Kal looked up at the beast, as it brought its claw down. Kal closed his eyes, awaiting the Ancestor's embrace of both him and Lana. It never came, just the sound of biotics going off.

Looking up, he saw Hastati locked in stasis as a feminine voice told him to move. He saw Ashley, Liara, Samara and Grunt run out onto the platform. Knowing he could not join Lana today, he let tears run down his face as he ran for cover. Once there, EDI informed him of Lana's status. Kal continued crying, but out of joy that she wasn't dead afterall.

As Team four took cover, Shepard smiled.  _Once the others arrive, Vido's fucked._ And with that, Shepard equipped his sniper rifle and came out of cover, aiming directly for Vido's head.

 **Bosh'tet:** Thought by many non-quarians to be the quarian equivalent of "son of a bitch" or "bastard." Surprisingly, it is actually the name of a animal native to Rannoch, similiar to Earth rats. It is a rodent to lives my scavenging, but has a very low intelligence, is quite irritating and lazy. It eats the excrement of other animals, using what's let of it as a home and the undigested bits as sustenance. It will eat any dung, even its own. It will defend its dung pile at any cost, even its own kind, and has been known to fight to the death. Quarians used it as a curse word for people who are being stupid, unresponsive, irritating or fighting for a worthless cause or reason.

**So the final battle insues. Will Zaeed finally have his revenge? And will Shepard be able to convince Tali to come back to him? The next chapter will decide everything. Stay tuned for Retribution Part 2.**

**"I know Saren. I know his reputation, his politics. He believes humans are blight on the galaxy. This attack was an act of war."**

**\- David Edward Anderson.**


	19. Retribution, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Blue Suns wither under the assault. Shepard confronts Tali and Dav.

_**Retribution Part 2** _

"Damn it Grunt, get behind cover!" Shepard shouted as he reloaded his rifle. Thanks to Vido shooting at him, his attempt to kill him had failed. Now Grunt was standing in the open, hoplessly shooting at the Mech. This gained Vido's attention and he swirled around, firing his Thanix weapon.

Grunt heard and dived out of the way, avoiding the shot that instead hit a explosive canister nearby, exploding and engulfing an entire section of wall. Getting up, Grunt ran back behind his cover, firing a single blind Claymore shot behind him. The shot bounced off Hastati's shields, and he just retaliated with heavy machine gun fire to keep his team pinned. Kal equipped his grenade launcher, emptying his last two grenades on Hastati's legs. They did unnoticable damage. Hastati had regenerative shields, so it made the battle that much harder.

Shepard decided to get a good view of Vido's mech. Popping his head slightly, he got a perfect view of the Mech. The whole thing was a walking tank. It had what looked like 600mm armor, making it one hell of a tough son of a bitch. His canopy was pretty vulnerable, but noone could get a clear shot with his shields up. His arms were basically non-existent, they were mostly his weapons. The armor was noticably made of Reaper tech, the design had that sleek, creepy design to it. And there, on the back, was a glowing device, one that looked strangley familiar. He couldn't remember what it was until it dawned on him.  _An indoctrination device. That's how he's controlling Tali._

Pulling back behind his cover, he got out his Arc Projector and signalled Liara to activate her stasis again. Nodding, she did this, holding it in place. Seeing this, Shepard leapt out of cover and fired two charged shots, before running over and joining Grunt behind cover. The shots impacted, draining Vido's shields by a quarter, but then they immediate recharged.  _Similiar to Donnovan's gunship._

He sighed as the stasis wore off and Vido resumed his carnage, rockets firing in multiple directions, and machine guns firing all over the place. Ashley, Kal, Samara and Grunt combined their firepower, but it was fruitless. Vido was basically invincible. None of their attacks hurt him. Wait.  _Kal had successfully gotten on Vido's back and he had been helpless then. Maybe I could do it again._ It was risky however. If he got anywhere close to that indoctrination device, it would start to affect him. So he would have to destroy it quickly.

 _I can't let Tali down. I'm doing this for her._ Raising his Mattock just above the crates, he fired off potshots, distracting Vido long enough for him to slip behind EDI, Kal and Lana's cover. Lana was now awake, but she was cradling her arm. She looked at Shepard as he approached, nodding to tell him she was okay. Kal was near her, in his usual protective stance, letting his bullets do the talking with Vido. EDI was just hitting him with everything she had.

"EDI, could we get Shala to bombard that asshole? No way he'll survive that." EDI stopped firing, reloaded and turned to Shepard as Vido continued the battle with the others. "No, Tali is too close, the blast would kill Dav, but take Tali with him. Although you are correct, even Hastati would not survive." Shepard sighed then remembered that the others were unaware of Vido's mech. He contacted them.

"Team's Two and Three, approach special projects with caution. Vido has a Atlas Mech that has been heavily modified with deadly weaponry and reaper tech. Make sure you take caution in you're entrance, he's a tough SOB. Shepard out." He waited for a reply, but got none. They most likely heard him, but didn't see the need to respond.  _Damn it, I don't have time for this, I need to get to Tali!_ He thought through all the possible ways to escape, but found none. There was only one way; destroy Hastati and Vido.

He turned to Zaeed, "Hey Vido, Zaeed is feeling pretty pissed off." He winked at Zaeed to make sure he knew he was playing him, "And I think its time he killed you!" Zaeed didn't run out, but threw a inferno grenade. The grenade rebounded harmlessly off Vido's shields. He laughed, "That's it? That's all you've..." His focus on Shepard, Vido failed to notice Zaeed run out and jump on the mech.

"Damn you Zaeed." Zaeed held onto Hastati's left arm as Vido swung it about, but Zaeed's grip was strong. He continued to climb up Hastati's arm until he found the shield generator for the merc. "Burn you son of a bitch." Zaeed jammed his Vindicator into the generator and pressed the trigger, screaming a angry shout as the shield generator sparked and exploded. "Damn it, my shields are gone! Quickly, Captain Zorah! Get my shields back up!" Zaeed looked up to see Tali running out of engineering and typing into her omnitool.

"Oh no you don't, Tali, forgive me..." Shepard nodded at Liara and she stood up. Using her biotics, she managed to toss Tali into the wall, knocking her out. Shepard just closed his eyes. He'd never intentionally hurt Tali in all his life, but he wasn't about to let anyone stop him from destroying Vido. "Damn you Massani." Distracted, Zaeed failed to hold on as Vido waved Hastati's left arm again, causing him to lose his grip and fly into Liara and Samara's cover. Knocked over, they were completely vulnerable.

Turning his attention to them, Hastati reared its machine gun at them, ready to rip them to shreds. Shepard moved to intervene but was interrupted as a sniper shot panged harmlessly off Vido's thick armor. Turning, he saw Garrus, followed by Wrex, Jack, Javik and Chief. Chief leapt off the railing onto the ground, running circles around Hastati as he fired his assault rifle. Garrus continued to fire his sniper rifle while Wrex, Jack and Javik pounded Hastati with biotic attacks from below.

Shepard smiled.  _Oh yes Vido, we have you now._ He looked up to see Dav dragging Tali's unconscious form back inside. He cursed under his breath as he got back behind his cover.

...

Garrus watched as Chief once again executed a perfect assassination before jumping up and performing a spinning right roundhouse kick to a merc's head. Spinning around, he landed perfectly and riddled the merc with bullets. Standing up he holstered his rifle, confident all mercs had been neatralized.

Garrus was impressed, but they didn't have time for this. "Chief, if you're done dancing with these mercs, rendevous at our location!" Garrus, Javik, Wrex and Jack waited for Chief to return. Gracefully taking cover, he looked at all of them. They all gave him a 'whatever' glance. "What?" Shaking his head amusingly, Garrus brought their gaze to him, "Our job is to take care of this Project: Primordial before Vido can use it. Any objections or are we clear?"

Jack just yelled back, "You're fucking serious? I thought we came here just to kill fucking merc around, not play around with this Primordial thing." Garrus rolled his eyes, "Yeah, well killing every merc in the base is part of the mission description, but its a secondary objective. Each team has its objective, ours is to take care of Primordial." With that sorted, Garrus leapt over his cover and advanced on the door. He was swiftly followed by Chief, then Javik, Wrex and Jack.

With all of them ready, he proceeded through the door. Nothing. Not a peep, not a merc in sight. He sniffed the air, he smelt smoke.  _What in the world?_ He ran down the corridor, followed by his team only to have a door on his left burst open and a merc run out, screaming as the flames engulfed him. He eventually fell to the ground, dead. "What is going on?"

Running inside, they found the whole fusion plant alight with fire, entire support structures had collapsed and the plant was in critical overload. All around the screaming of dying mercs and the explosions of overloading consoles could be heard. Then came a familiar voice, "Glad you could join the fun!" Looking left, Chief saw Kasumi approach them. "Just finished up dealing with these mercs. Fusion plant is clearly destroyed, so that's our objective done. Now were to rally at the Special Projects. You?" Garrus was flabbergasted. The whole place was alight and she was having friendly conversation?

Chief was also confused. Was Shepard's team usually this stupid? Kasumi was quickly joined by Jacob and Miranda. "Don't know if you notice, but this place is falling apart!" Garrus shouted, stating the obvious. Kasumi rolled her eyes, "I know! But this place won't completely collapse for a few minutes. I checked." Nodding, Garrus and the others just exited the fusion plant, leaving the burning room to blow up.

Once outside, he turned to them. "Were still advancing on our objective. It would be a good idea to look for survivors from the Normandy. I can imagine their held in the prison block." Garrus knew Vido would keep the crew prisoner, he could use it just like he did Tali. Jacob nodded, "Good idea. We'll accompany you up this corridor but that's when we split." Nodding quickly, the 8 of them ran down the hallway. It was eerily quiet, not a merc in sight. "Where are all the guards?" Miranda asked quietly, incase the guards were nearby.

"Not the slightest clue, maybe Shepard or Ashley's teams caused trouble elsewhere and their focused on that location." Garrus stated. Kasumi giggled before saying, "Or using this time for some R n R." They continued to run down the hallway until reaching what looked like a 3 way corridor. Their stop.

"Okay, now we split up. We'll meet you at the rally point, good hunting." Jacob said as both Miranda and Kasumi followed him down the corridor towards the prison blocks. Garrus nodded and ran down the corridor towards Special Projects, where the Primordial was supposedly hidden. Funnily enough, that was their rally point too. He stopped as he thought he heard gunfire. Holding his hands up he motioned for Wrex and Chief to take point and for Jack and Javik to secure his rear. Taking cover, Garrus watched as Chief and Wrex slowly moved in on the gunfire.

Then their comms beeped as Shepard's voice sounded through their mics, "Team's Two and Three, approach special projects with caution. Vido has a Atlas Mech that has been heavily modified with deadly weaponry and reaper tech. Make sure you take caution in you're entrance, he's a tough SOB. Shepard out." Garrus looked at Wrex and Chief, and they looked back nodding, Garrus already smiling. "Let's go give Vido a little surprise. Take original formation, I'll take point ahead of Wrex and Chief."

Running through the corridor ahead of everyone, Garrus noticed two mercs heading towards Special Projects. Surprising them, he snapped the neck of one and then punched the other in the gut, allowing Wrex to finish him off. Not waiting for them to catch up, he rushed on ahead. He eventually reached the door labelled 'SPECIAL PROJECTS' and ran through. Garrus was amazed by the sight.

The thing was just a Atlas mech with heavy Reaper armor and alot more powerful weapons. He saw Zaeed dangling helplessly on the Mech's left arm. He then witnessed Zaeed get thrown off into Liara's cover, and saw the Mech rear its machine guns at them.  _NO! NOT LIARA!_ Not thinking of his actions, Garrus ordered Chief to distract the mech and everyone to give it everything they had. Extending his rifle, he took the first shot.

His sniper round bounced harmlessly off the thick Mech's hide, not hurting it at all. Good, he wasn't trying to destroy it, only to draw its attention. It worked, Vido turned the mech to face them. Reloading, he saw Chief jump over the railing and begin running in circles, firing his peashooter at the Mech. Vido ignored him as Wrex, Jack and Javik combined their assault with Garrus', hammering the mech with all they had.

Rearing its right arm, it fired two missiles which impacted the platform they were on quicker than he could react. The platform, crumbled and Jack and Wrex fell onto the ground below, Wrex not receiving any injury, but Jack receiving a broken leg. Another two missiles arrived and this time it was Javik and his turn. He fell onto the ground, his rifle sliding away as Javik crumbled next to him. He coughed as dust clouded his lungs and crawled towards his sniper rifle. Jack launched a shockwave at the mech before being helped by Wrex into cover. Javik tried to help Garrus up, but stopped as the Mech stood on Garrus' sniper rifle, crushing it.

Looking up, even Javik stood frozen as he was looking directly into the mech's machine gun. "Die you prothean ass..." the mech then stood frozen, paralyzed by not Liara's stasis, but overload.  _Who did that? From what I saw, Lana was out of action, so who could have done that?_ Javik continued to help Garrus up and then ran under the mech and towards Shepard's position. Reassuring Javik he was fine, he let go and they both joined Shepard in cover.

"Damn it, where's the objective, where's Project: Primordial?" Garrus asked Shepard, as Javik attempted to use Dark Channel on the mech. "It just tried to kill you! Stared you right in the face!" Shepard responded, firing more shots at the Mech before retreating behind cover. "That's it!? That was our objective? Thank god for you getting here first." Garrus equipped his Cerberus Harrier, and leaned out and fired random shots at the mech. He might as well be shooting pebbles for all the damage it was doing.

Retreating as a new hail of gunfire came, he wondered what Jacob, Miranda and Kasumi were up too...

...

"Damn it, I knew it was too quiet!" Miranda shouted as a platoon of mercs appeared from around the corner. They were rapidly approaching the prison blocks, and she was starting to get suspicious, but now they had mercs to deal with. Immediately activating her cloak, Kasumi continued to move in as Miranda and Jacob took cover.

Finally stopping, Kasumi reared up and stabbed the merc closest to her in the neck, before retracting her blade and stabbing the next merc in the chest. After retracting her blade once again, she reactivated her cloak and attempted to retreat, but one merc grabbed her by the hood, forcing her to deactivate her cloak. She moved to retaliate but heard only a gunshot and the merc's head exploded, followed by "Take that amigo!" Turning, she saw James charging forward.

Ripping free of the dead merc's grip, she fired her pistol straight into another merc's head. Reactivating her cloak, she let James charge in, before moving up behind him, using him as cover as she killed merc after merc. Noticing a merc trying to ambush him, she shoots him three times in the head before reloading and then threw her knife into another merc's chest.

The merc rebounded in pain, but Kasumi ripped the knife out and relocated it into his scalp. She ripped it out once again and turning, saw the last merc prepare to assassinate her. This failed, as James quickly removed the threat by killing him. Reloading his AR he approaches Kasumi, "Bet you're glad I save your ass." Kasumi put her hands on her hips, shaking her head, "James! You're meant to be watching the shuttle!" He laughed, "Oh hell on, I'm N7 girl, I'm a man of action, not standing! Now come on, as I can see, you have prisoners to rescue."

Before they could move, Shepard's voice resonated through their mics, "Team's Two and Three, approach special projects with caution. Vido has a Atlas Mech that has been heavily modified with deadly weaponry and reaper tech. Make sure you take caution in you're entrance, he's a tough SOB. Shepard out." Kasumi turned to James, shaking her head.

Jacob and Miranda came up behind them, "Shepard's an N7 too, but he can stand still. You don't think he called Tali up to his cabin just so he could use her for target practise did you?" Jacob asked. James just chuckled, "Maybe." Miranda just shook her head, "Come on, we we'd better release the prisoners before we continue to the Special Projects Facility." Nodding in agreement, the four of them ran down the corridor, continuing towards the prison block.

Eventually they reached the incarcerated sector, and descended the steps. They were immediately engaged by four mercs, two heavies, a centurion and a legionnaire. James tackled the legionnaire to the ground, as the heavies let off two missiles towards them. Miranda blocked the shots with her barrier before picking one up and throwing her into the centurion, knocking both of them. The Heavy reloaded her missile launcher, but was instantly gunned down by Jacob.

The Heavy attempted to stand up, but was knocked back down and her throat slit by Kasumi. The Centurion had his shields drained and Jacob stabbed him in the chest with his omniblade. Ripping it out, they all turned to James. Holding the Legionnaire down by the scruff of his neck as he shot him once in the head, his head blasting open from the proximity of the shot.

Standing up and wiping the blood from his face, he nodded at them and they continued down the corridor. Miranda rushed up ahead and rounded the left corridor, but immediately took cover as she saw a YMIR Mech blocking the corridor, flanked by two heavies. "Kill them! Don't let them through!" Came the voice of a turian Blue Suns Commander behind the mech. Motioning for them to stop, Miranda told them about the YMIR.

"I've got this. Just have you're biotics on standby." James rushed out and unleash carnage on the mech. The shields of the YMIR deflected the shot, but it did enough to distract it for a few crucial seconds. He tossed two frag grenades before activating his fortification and charging in. The grenades detonated just as he arrived, sending the heavies flying into the walls, each missing limbs such as legs and arms, their missile launchers falling to the ground useless.

The YMIR fired its machine guns, but they ricocheted harmlessly off James' fortification, and he leapt onto the mech, grabbing its head and twisting it back and forth. His rifle fell to the ground as he struggled with the mech. Not built for close combat, the YMIR stood there just letting him twist its head. James yelled out, "Now Miranda! Jacob! Use you're biotics! Bring this bastard down!" Finally understanding what James wanted them for, Jacob and Miranda and combined their biotics to push the YMIR down. It worked, as the YMIR collapsed backwards, crushing the Blue Suns Commander under its weight. James got a quick glimpse of two Troopers, a Pyro, two Centurions and a Legionnaire. He saw no more, so he guessed this was what was left of the Blue Suns prison security. Well, that and 5 LOKI Mechs and 2 FENRIS Mechs rapidly approaching.

Smiling, James leapt off, equipping his shotgun and emptied two shells into the centurion closest to him, killing him instantly. Leaping behind the dead centurion, he used him as mobile cover. The other Blue Suns mercs fired at James, but hit the body instead. James reached over the dead merc's shoulder and fired two rounds into a flanking trooper and then threw the body at the Pyro, as he fired. The flame singed his skin a little bit, causing him to grunt in pain. The body hit the Pyro, causing him to stagger backwards, allowing Miranda to pick him up and crush his fuel tank with her biotics. The Pyro erupted in flame, screaming in pain.

Dropping him, she watched as Kasumi dropped from above and activated her omniblade, stabbing the stunned centurion in the face. The last trooper and the Legionnaire tried to use the YMIR as cover, but Jacob managed to gun down the trooper before he kicked the Legionnaire in the shins. The batarian yelped in pain, before receiving a biotic punch to the jaw. The force of the strike sent the Legionnaire's head to a scary angle, killing him immediately and his body fell to the ground, dead.

Turning, he only got to see FENRIS leap at him before falling to the ground. He tackled with it, making sure it couldn't use its overloading device. James turned around and emptied a shotgun shell into the other FENRIS, causing it to explode in mid air. Miranda unleashed pull on the LOKI mechs, causing them to lift up and begin to ascend towards her. Smiling, she picked each one off, one by one. All 5 fell to the ground and she finally turned to FENRIS Jacob was tackling. Instead, Jacob threw it into the ceiling and quickly equipped his shotgun, blowing it up.

They stood in the empty corridor, nothing but a destroyed YMIR, the debris of FENRIS and LOKI mechs and the dead body of multiple dead mercs. Nodding to each other they finally came across the cell blocks.  _Time to get them out of there._ Kasumi thought to herself.

...

Joker could of sworn he heard gunfire. Chakwas and Tia must have heard it as well, because they followed him to the windows. Samantha, Kelly, Gardner and the others stayed tending to each other. Joker and Chakwas couldn't see anything. "Tia, you've got a thermal vision in you're visor, right? Use it." Tia nodded and activated her thermal vision, being able to see straight through the wall.

"Explosions. Gunfire. Looks like we've got rescuers." Joker nodded and smiled. "Who? Can you see them?" Tia shook her head as they all watched a YMIR mech, two heavies and an entire Blue Suns squad run down the hallway. "Damn, talk about defenses." Joker said, stating the obvious. Samantha walked up to them, "They'd better hurry up, I'm starting to get sick. I haven't eaten anything in days and I'm hungry."Joker nodded in agreement, "We all are."

Turning back to the group, Joker said clearly, "Any ideas how to pass the time?" Everyone shrugged their shoulders. Gardner stood up, "Why not watch the fight going on out..." A massive thud shook them and they all looked outside to see the YMIR Mech, toppled over and James standing on its head. They watched as Kasumi, Miranda and Jacob quickly joined the fight, quickly decimating the blue suns forces and their mechanized reinforcements. They smiled and turned to each other as Kasumi began hacking the door. Joker, Chakwas and Tia approached the door just as Kasumi opened it.

They stood facing James, Jacob, Miranda and Kasumi. "You're alive. How many others?" Miranda asked. Joker looked at the others, "Just about everyone. All except...Cortez." James switched looks to Joker, "Why not Esteban?" Joker looked at James with a sad look, "Vido...killed him becaue I tried to escape. Used him as a example." James silently swore to himself as everyone looked at the ground. James checked his shotgun, then looked back at them, "Well, let's not waste time getting to Special Projects. Shepard may be tough, but he can't hold out forever against that mech of Vido's." Everyone nodded and Kasumi herded everyone out of the cell. Tia spotted two mercs approaching from behind, so she grabbed Kasumi's SMG, and killed both of them.

She then handed the Locust back to Kasumi. Smiling, Kasumi kept it out, ready to fight. "Let's move." Chakwas stopped them, "Most of us are non-combatants. What do we do?" Everyone silently pondered this question until Miranda spoke up, "I'll escort them back to our shuttle. Then I'll come back for you guys. Tia, you're pretty handy with that SMG, I'll give you mine and you can defend the shuttle." Tia nodded and took Miranda's SMG. Giving a final nod to them, Miranda took the crew back to the shuttle.

With just the three of them, they all nodded and headed back the way they came, but this time broke off and headed for Special Projects. James ran up ahead, making sure no mercs surprised them. Apart from two talkative mercs, they encountered none. Eventually they came across the engineering section and next to that, was Special Projects. Kasumi stopped as Jacob and James kept running, "Run up ahead, I'll catch up! I'm just checking this out!" They didn't even nodded, just kept running. She turned to the door and found it to be locked, the red haptic interface glowing brightly.

Bringing out her omnitool, she typed into it and began hacking the door.  _Whoever did this is a brilliant tech._ Then she remembered only one person had tech abilities to outmatch hers.  _Tali's in there._ Finally hacking the door and opening it, Kasumi stepped inside, Locust bared. She found noone in the room, it was empty. Noone, except Tali, who was sitting near a sheet of glass looking down on Special Projects. As Kasumi approached, Tali looked up at her with watchful eyes. She was cradling her stomach.

Kasumi approached, smiling. "Tali, it's me, Kasumi. Do you remember me?" Tali shook her head. Kasumi attempted to reassure Tali, but she was focusing behind her. "What are you looking at?" Before Tali could answer, Kasumi felt a weapon hit her across the back of the head, and everything went black.

"Good job, you can get up now." Dav said as he smiled at the motionless body of Kasumi lying next to her. "Shepard won't sacrifice one of his own crew, not even for you." As Tali stood up, she gave him a awkward look, "I mean, so he can't manipulate further." Seeing Tali hesitantly nod gave him relief.  _Shit, one more slip up like that and she'll start to question._ Tali did indeed felt pain in her stomach, why having a baby was this painful was beyond her.

Dav grabbed Kasumi's arms and dragged her into the corner, where he kept a watch on her. Tali walked up behind him and tapped his shoulder, "I'll watch her." Dav hesitantly nodded and stood up, allowing Tali to sit where he formerly sat. Taking out her pistol, she leaned back and relaxed, keeping her pistol close. When Kasumi woke, she would try to escape, Tali would prevent that.

Dav moved up the glass and watched the battle below. He laughed, "Vido's decimating those fools." Tali looked at him, and before she could react, her pistol was pointing at the back of his head. She quickly regained control, and pulled her pistol down. She shook her head.  _Keelah, what am I doing?_ She sighed and continued to watch Kasumi, quickly checking her pulse to make sure she was alive. Satisified, she leaned back and watched Dav with a smile.

...

"Hey, Loco! We miss anything?" Shepard turned to his right, and saw James and Jacob jump down and join him just as more gunfire zoomed over their heads. "James, I thought you were meant to be watching the shuttle!" Shepard stated as he leapt up and fired another shot at the indoctrination device. Unfortunetly, Hastati once again turned quickly, the shot instead hitting its right shoulder.

He ducked before Hastati noticed him. "Yeah, well I was until I got sick of standing around. Miranda's escorting the crew back to the shuttle and will join us soon. Kasumi was checking out something up above." Nodding, Shepard heard the telltale yells of Javik and looked towards him. He saw everyone except Jacob, James and himself making a run for the door as Javik yelled, "He's charging!" Shepard looked up but too late. Hastati smashed into the barricade he was using for cover, causing James to leap out of the way and Jacob to be thrown into the ground. Shepard felt his head impact the Hastati's 'groin' and he fell into the ground onto his back.

He watched as Hastati rushed passed and then slowly turned around. James helped him up and the three of them ran for the barricades opposite of their position, as Hastati was blocking the doorway. Once they got there, a Thanix round zoomed past, destroying Vido's screen, causing it to crash onto the ground. Hastati rapidly approached, Vido smiling within the cockpit. Looking up, Shepard got a glimpse of Dav looking down upon them.  _Smug asshole._ He contacted Kasumi, "Kasumi! We could really use you're help right now!" She didn't respond.

"I thought you said she was checking up something up above?" James just shrugged as a rocket blew his cover apart, throwing him backwards. Hastati moved in to finish James off, but the squads returned and rained hell upon Hastati. Seeing the others were a bigger threat, Hastati turned around, but not before shooting Shepard in the left shoulder. Shepard spun backwards into the ground, clutching his left shoulder blade. It bled heavily, the impact of the round had caused major pain in it.

Hastati rained more pain upon the squads; missiles, machine guns and thanix cannons, everything within its arsenal. Damn, and Vido was mass producing that thing. He could imagine the Blue Suns with a whole arsenal of those. He tried to get up, but the pain was immense. Then he remembered the day he woke up, the day he was given a second chance. A chance he wasn't going to waste. He stood up, quickly finding his rifle, and spun to face Hastati. But it was already facing him, but it didn't fire. No, Vido just laughed as a gigantic migrain filled Shepard's head. He clutched his head in pain.

He tried to block it out, but the pain was worse than anything he'd ever felt. He felt like his head had been hit by a dozen shotputs. He fell to he's clutching his head. He knew what this was, what Vido was doing, he could see it from Hastati's glowing back. Vido's words confirmed this, "Join you're little pet Shepard, become my toy."  _He's trying to indoctrinate me._

Seeing what was happening, "No! Not this time motherfucker!" James reared up with his newly found N7 Typhoon.  _ASSUMING DIRECT..._ James fired in a erratic pattern, as did everyone else, causing Vido's concentration to break. Harbinger's voice faded from Shepard's head, and he stood up, picking up his rifle and dived back behind cover. "Go Shepard! Find Kasumi and Tali! Save them both! We'll hold this bastard off!" Shepard just looked at James in shock, "James I..."

"Go Shepard, I'll take care of these guys. We can hold this bastard off. Besides, Tali may be the only one who knows how to destroy this thing." Garrus stated, firing a round at the Hastati's thick hide. Finally nodding to both James and Garrus, Shepard burst from cover and ran towards the way James and Jacob entered. Ducking and weaving through Hastati's attempts to kill him, he finally reached the doorway and ran up the stairs.

He would save Tali first, Kasumi later. Besides, Kasumi was tough. She could hold on. But Tali was indoctrinated. He ran through his mind a dozen ways to persuade Tali, but it all fell to one thing: the photo taken on Rannoch by Lana. It was the only way to convince her. But he would need to kill Dav and disable her to get her to look at it, plus Dav wasn't just going to give up his asset here and there.  _Oh I've been looking forward to gutting this asshole._

Shepard finally reached the third level and stopped to quickly glance at the battle below. They weren't fairing well, Garrus had them try and circle the mech. Chief had attempted to tackle it, but Hastati had smashed him into a wall, knocking him out. Shepard sighed and continued towards engineering. When he finally got there, he found the haptic interface to be green.  _Strange, I thought Dav would lock it to stop us from getting in._ Simply shrugging, Shepard touched the interface, causing the door to shoot open.

Rifle raised, he stepped in. He was looking at Dav standing at the window. Tali was sitting on a box in the corner talking to someone in a darkhood. Dav immediately spun to face him, rifle levelled with his shoulder. Tali saw him too and grabbed the darkhooded figure by the neck and wrapped her arm around in a headlock. Using the figure as a shield, Tali brandished her pistol at Shepard as the figure shouted "Shepard!"

"Put the weapon down or we kill you're friend!" Dav shouted as it finally dawned on Shepard who this person was.  _Kasumi. No wonder she didn't respond._ Shepard pointed his rifle at both Dav and Tali before sighing and slowly placing his rifle on the ground and disattaching the rest of his weapons, throwing them onto the ground and kicking them towards Dav. He then raised his hands in the air.

"Shepard! Don't! KILL THIS ASSHOLE!" Tali silenced her by squeezing tighter. "I don't want to do this, but I will Shepard" Tali stated as she held the pistol in the side of Kasumi's head. Shepard gave her a frown.  _Indoctrinated Tali was always hostile. She's changed, maybe I did get through to her on the Ontarom._

Dav laughed mockingly, "Now Shepard, were going to kill you and you're friend, slowly..." The door behind Shepard shut and locked, the haptic interface blinking red. "But first, its time to take care of business." Dav then clenched his fist and punched Shepard in the chest. Shepard only reeled back slightly, "I'm going to enjoy this." Dav continued as he clenched his fist once again and executed a left hook to Shepard's face.

**Now it begins. The next chapter will determine whether Tali will return to us, or not. This is where it finally ends. Not the story, but Tali's indoctrination period. You're all getting ready for Vido's deathday and Dav's last** _**aakel eist'gella?** _ **I bet you are.**

**This is where it all ends. Stay tuned for Chapter 19, on Sunday 28 October 2012**

**Aakel eist'gella:** Birthday blessing. Literal translation: Blessed day of life. Though close in translation, the actual meaning is not to honor the day a person is born, but to honor all the past days and reflect on what still lies in the future. The accomplishments and choices the person has made to reach this day as well as those made to continue onward.

"The measure of an individual can be difficult to discern by actions alone."

\- Thane Krios.


	20. Unbroken Bond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tali makes a realization. Zaeed gets his revenge.

_**Unbroken Bond** _

Shepard barely even flinched from the punch. He just grinned, which rapidly grew into a smile and finally, a chuckle. Dav gave him a frown as he looked at Tali. Tali returned his look of confusion before returned to looking at Shepard. "What...What's so funny?" Dav asked. Humans are so unreadable. Shepard just looked at him, "It's so...ironic. I'm meant to be pursuing you and punching you up, and yet...here I am, getting...tickled by you."

Dav felt his face warmed up in rage.  _Tickles huh? How about this!_ He knew human anatomy was almost identical to quarian anatomy, so he aimed for the one weakness spot both races had: the quad. He kicked him with all the strength he had, and finally Shepard flinched. He reeled forward, holding his crotch. Dav chuckled this time, "Still tickle?"

Shepard nodded his head and lightly laughed, "Come on Tali, do you usually pick such weak lifemates? Or have you given up on dashing commanders?"  _Let her forget that._ Tali seemed to blink rapidly as the deja vu hit her. Dav frowned once again.  _Why do humans have to be so enigmatic?_

Tali pondered Shepard's words.  _'Given up on dashing commanders?' what did he mean by that, I seem to remember saying those words, but how would he know?_ Shaking her head again to clear this, she raised the pistol back up to Kasumi's head, which she had noticably lowered. She flinched as a rocket hit the glass next to her, not shattering it, but cracking it heavily.  _Vido can't even control his own mech._

Dav didn't even react to Shepard's insult, he just eyed him. "Where do you get you're insults from Captain? For a man of you're demeanour, I'd expect better insults from you." Shepard got up and smiled, "You've barely heard a 8th of the insult vocabulary I have." His anger peaked, Dav just balled his fist again and uppercutted Shepard, right in the jaw. Once again Shepard, barely moved.

"Bitch please, I've faced down armies of geth, mercenaries, reapers, collectors, pirates, cerberus, krogan and the list goes on. You're attacks are chicken shit." Shepard stated clearly. Dav just chuckled, "Then why not fight back?" Shepard gave him a nice little smile, "Cause I wouldn't want Miss Zorah's  _fake_ lifemate to be bloodless on the ground would I?" Dav slowly smiled.  _I see what he's doing. He's trying to find ways to worm in deja vu so it will break through Tali's indoctrination. Smart, but it won't work._

Tali eyed him again.  _Fake Lifemate. Dav, Fake Lifemate. He has a point. Dav has been very hostile towards me lately, and lifemates aren't very hostile to each other. Or maybe its the pressure._ Nevertheless, she eyed Shepard with curiousity. She wanted to hear more. Shepard noticed this and silently prayed in his mind. Surprisingly, he prayed to the quarian ancestors.  _Damn Tali, I'll be a fully converted quarian soon enough. I might even find myself in a suit soon._

Turning back to Dav he simply said, "So are we going to have a friendly chat? Or can I tell Tali one more thing before I die?" Dav picked up Shepard's shotgun, smiled and pointed it at Shepard's head. "No. You die now, no more delaying."  **(That sounded like a few VERY impatient readers XD)** Shepard closed his eyes and waited for the incoming shot when Tali shouted out, "NO! wait. Let him speak."

Shepard sighed.  _At least Tali was listening to him. That's a step in the right direction._ Pulling out his omnitool, he knew right there, and then was the right time to do it. He activated it, searched through his photo archives and brought up the picture. He then showed it to her. Kasumi smiled,  _Yes Shepard! Good job!_ Dav's eyes opened in shock.  _Shit!_ Tali's eyes opened in shock. She was looking at a picture of her, clearly, hugging Shepard, the both of them looking deeply into each other's eyes. They were on Rannoch...

In seconds, memories sifted through her mind.  _Her omnitool sprang to life. Though John hesitated, Tali knew what she wanted to do and pulling John with her, moved them to the spot. Turning to face him, she put her arms around him and brought her visor up against his, just looking into his eyes. Figuring out this was a photo opportunity, he wrapped Tali in his arms as well. Smiling at her, he said very softly "I want another one of these once you can safely remove that suit. Even if you have to be wearing something else, I could then see your face."_

Tali felt like she was reliving the moments right there, right now. Now new moments, ones not related, shifted in.  _"Cause I respect you damn it. Don't you think I want you to come with me?" "Then ask me!" "Tali..."_ Tali closed her eyes, loosening her grip on Kasumi. Kasumi noticed this, but made no attempt to break out. Incase Dav shot her, or Tali. Another memory took hold in Tali's mind.  _"I love you." "Keelah Se'lai." "Romantic evening together? You point and I tell?" "My neck however, feels as if something's been nibbling on it."_

Then a single memory, one that decided everything hit her mind.  _Her first kiss, with the human...she loved. She bonded too. This Dav however..._  Suddenly, she fainted, releasing her hold completely. She dropped the pistol and fell to the ground asleep, letting Kasumi go. Kasumi crouched next to Tali protectively, while Shepard just deacitvated his omnitool. Dav eyed him with a deadly death stare.

...

Tali opened her eyes. She had no idea where she was. She was in a small metal room, nondescript in nature, but small nonetheless. She looked around. She was lying on the floor. She got up and looked around once again. Nothing in the room except her. Even the ceiling was devoid of anything interesting. Just a single bright light. The room didn't even have doors.  _Where am I?_

Suddenly, a door materialized in the wall and the haptic interface switched erratically between green and red. Eventually, it stopped on red. She reached for her omnitool, but found it to be missing. She heard a distant voice, one calling out, but the words were unintelligable. The door finally decided to switch green and opened. She now faced a relatively short corridor, a single door at the end.

She approached it, but as she got closer, the corridor got longer and longer. She broke into a run and finally a sprint, but it was useless. Exhausted, she stopped to catch her breath. All of a sudden, the corridor was short and she felt her mask smash into the door. She fell to the ground, but her mask didn't even crack. She felt dizzy and suddenly Meru was standing over her. "Mum! Mum! Am I dead? Mother!" She ran up and hugged Meru, who hugged back.

Letting go, Meru signalled for Tali to follow and follow she did. They ran through the door and suddenly, they were on the Rayya. Tali stopped and looked around.  _This has to be a dream. Extending Corridors, my mum, the sudden change in scenery._ She then turned to Meru was now staring at her, her eyes glowing with a intense orange light. Meru spoke, but in the way she should. A single word popped up in her head randomly.  _Harbinger._ "You are mine, you cannot break my hold. I will destroy everything you love. This...hurts you."

And within a second, Meru returned to normal but started coughing heavily. She then sneezed erratically, held her head in pain and ripped her mask off. She vomitted blood all over the place and by the time Tali reacted, she fell to the ground, her body limp. "NO!" Tali crouched next to Meru's body but it then turned into a skeleton, and Tali reeled back in disgust. She held her head in pain.  _THIS BODY IS MY VEHICLE._ She held her head in pain as the scenery warped around her and changed.

She was now on the Alarei, and looking down, she saw her father's corpse. This brought back memories that saddened her. Then, out of the blue, Shepard materialized. "It's okay, come here." Tali accepted his embrace in surprise. It then dawned on her. "Thank you. Thank you..." They hugged for what felt like a eternity before Shepard suddenly gasped. Looking up and releasing his hold, she saw a knife wedged deep in his neck.

He fell to the ground dead, and she began to weep. Looking up she saw herself, knife in hand, but her eyes had the same furious glow that Meru's had.  _LOVE IS NOTHING BUT A WEAPON TO BE UTILIZED. YOU KNOW THIS._ The other Tali stated before disappearing. The environment changed again, she was now standing on Rannoch. Looking down she saw the bodies of Shepard and... _Kal and Lana._ These affected her deeply and then Lana's dead corpse spoke to her, in the same machine like tone.  _YOU CANNOT CONTINUE TO RESIST ME. I KNOW YOU'RE WEAKNESS._ Tali looked up and shouted loudly, "NO! I am Tali'Shepard vas Normandy! AND I AM FREE OF YOU'RE..."

She was initially surprised by her use of Shepard's name as a clan name, but she knew this was true. Dav was not her lifemate, and never had been.  _YOU LIE TO YOURSELF. I HAVE FIXED YOU, AND SOON YOU WILL BE UPGRADED._ Tali then appeared in a chair, restraints holding her down as machinery worked around her. Vido stood in the back, smiling. "I...AM...TALI...SHEPARD...VAS..." The room shifted again and now she was on the Normandy, CIC. She saw Han'Gerrel posed at Shepard's command post, and she was standing next to Lana.  _Kal and Lana's bonding ceremony._

 _YOU WILL KNOW PAIN. THE BOND HURTS YOU._ Suddenly, Gerrel fell dead, and then one by one, like dominos, the whole crew fell dead. She backed into a wall which felt...nothing like a wall. She turned and was looking straight into the face of a Banshee. She screamed and ran, but the Banshee caught up and stabbed her in the leg. She tried to break free, but it was no use. Then Dav appeared, stabbing the Banshee in the neck, saving her.

Holding out his hand, he offered to help her up. Ignoring it, she picked up her pistol and pointed it at him. The pistol then disappeared and the whole room changed and turned into the Special Projects facility, Vido's mech facing her.  _WHY DON'T YOU SEE. DAV HAS ALWAYS BEEN BONDED TO YOU. SHEPARD IS AN IMPOSTER._ She blocked out Harbinger's voice, and stared deeply at the mech, waiting for Vido to make his move.

Then she realized, the mech wasn't moving at all. Nothing was. All around, her squadmates stood in frozen postures, their faces contorted in rage, their guns facing Hastati, prepared to unleash their bullets of superheated lead. Hastati stood there, motionless. It was all like a well made stop motion movie. Only this didn't continue, it stayed the same.

Feeling eyes on her back, she turned to see Dav standing in front of her and, not to far away, Shepard. She looked at both of them and then it dawned on her.  _Harbinger's seeing which one I'll go for. This is it, this whole dream is just a test._ She heard a sinister voice from behind her, "Choose Dav. A human can never love you the way you want him too. This indoctrinated crap has been made up. He's trying to manipulate you, don't let him." It was the other Tali from before, the one with Harbinger's voice. This time, she spoke with her normal voice.

Another voice came from her right, the exact same one. "The photo proves Shepard's point. He loves you, Dav doesn't. Dav is the real imposter, he's tricked you into a false bond. The man you know and bonded too is standing ten meters away, kill Dav. You have friends who care about you, who are fighting for you right now, for me. For you. Whatever, we are the same. But that abomination there," the actual Tali said, pointing to Harbinger's Tali, "is a imposter. She's not you, she is the current you. If you break out, that Tali will be destroyed. Do you want to live like that? As a monster? Think of the people that care about you! Think about what you could have with Shepard."

All of a sudden, a young child appeared in front of Tali. He was quarian, 6 by age, but wasn't wearing a suit.  _How is he alive?_ She noticed his eyes didn't glow like a quarian's did.  _Something isn't right about this child._ "Mum? Mum, where's dad?" The kid said, speaking to her. To  _me._  Tali wanted to say that she didn't know this child, that she wasn' his mother, but she could say nothing. Actual Tali smiled and said again, "You don't know him yet, but you will. That's the future that awaits you and Shepard. That child in there," actual Tali said, touching her stomach and then pulling her hand back, "is not Dav's. He lied, he's..." Harbinger's Tali butted in, "Lies! Don't listen to that liar! I am the actual Tali! That child is Dav's!"

Ignoring the interruption, actual Tali continued, "he's using it as a ruse to keep you under Vido's control. He doesn't want you to know that the baby is Shepard's." Tali looked at actual Tali as if she was insane.  _Interspecies breeding is impossible._ "I know what you're thinking, I'm you afterall, but it's happened. If you need to know, ask ." Tali didn't know who that was, but she... _Dr. Chakwas. Of course, how could I forget._

Harbinger Tali's protests ringed hollow, she wasn't listening. The child disappeared as she pondered her decision. Dav or Shepard. She looked between the both of them, it was difficult. Dav being the father was the most logical, but the evidence given, especially the photo, pointed toward's Shepard being her lifemate. Then she remembered the exact words she had said to Raan.  _He cried in my arms as he admitted his fear in losing me._ That decided it for her. She turned to the Harbinger Tali and nodded. Harbinger Tali smiled, but didn't get to even move as Tali pulled out her shotgun and shot Harbinger Tali point blank, in the face.

Her body crumbled to the ground, and turning, she saw actual Tali nod, smile, and then evaporate into nothing. Dav did the same. She turned to Shepard who was standing right in front of her as she said, "You won't lose me." She then embraced him, letting his warmth comfort her, dropping her shotgun.  _YOU ARE..._ Tali released Shepard's hold and shouted. "I AM TALI'SHEPARD VAS NORMANDY AND THIS BODY IS MINE!" She could hear Kasumi's voice, calling for her to wake up.

And with that, Tali decided it was time to wake up. She had unfinished business to attend too.

...

"Tali wake up!" Kasumi repeated for what felt like the millionth time. Dav just kept his shotgun trained on Shepard, the latter just gazing at Tali's unconscious form. When she began to stir, he shifted slightly. Dav could hear Kasumi's gasp and turned to see Tali holding her head and she started to get up.

"You're awake!" Tali nodded and smiled. It felt good to be back. Kasumi didn't recognize Tali's smile, and immediately tried to escape but Dav already turned to Shepard, shotgun still levelled. "Now, Captain Zorah. Shepard has spoken, now I can finally terminate him. You're manipulating days are over Shepard." Tali heard this and shot a look at Dav, who was moving his finger towards the trigger.

Reacting quickly, Tali picked up her pistol, levelled it at Dav's left leg and said loudly, "OH NO YOU DON'T, BOSH'TET!" She pulled the trigger. The shot pierced Dav's leg, causing him to wince and lower the weapon. He moved to recover, but Shepard took advantage and moved forward, grabbing the weapon and yanking it from his hold. Dav was now up and looked Shepard directly in the eyes.

Just before Shepard hit him across the head with the butt of the weapon he said "Night, night asshole." Dav fell to the ground, unconscious. Tali and Kasumi stopped next to his unconscious form. Answering their unspoken question, Shepard said, "I'm not letting him off with a quick death. I'm going to teach this bastard what hell he put me through."

Looking at Tali, he dropped the shotgun. "Tali, is that you?" Tali looked at him and smiled, "It's me, John. I'm back, and never leaving you again." Shepard embraced her quickly, and Tali returned it. They just hugged each other for a short period of time before Kasumi's voice rose up, "Ahem. Sorry to spoil the reunion, but our guys are in trouble."

Breaking the embrace, Shepard sheepishly nodded in his own awkward manner, one Tali couldn't help but giggle at. Kasumi thought to herself,  _Great to have her back and not threatening to blast my head off._ "Right, Tali do you know how to stop Vido's mech?" Shepard asked. Tali looked at him as if he just asked her to become a politician. "John, I designed Hastati, I know everything about it. I know every weakness there is. But to stop any attempt at my mind succumbing to indoctrination again, I'm going to destroy that device."

Before Shepard could ask how, Tali pushed passed him and ran out. Glancing at Kasumi, both he and the former followed Tali out of engineering and back the way he came. He then noticed Tali sprint towards the railing. "Tali, what are YOU DOING!" He watched as she leaped off the railing. He ran up to it, Kasumi close behind and stopped just as he saw Tali land on Hastati's back. "Hello Vido, you miss me?" She said mockingly.

Vido frustratingly tried to pull her off, but failed. Garrus cheered her on, "That's right Tali! KILL THAT BASTARD!" Feeling everyone cheering her on, her grip tightened on the mech's hide, slowly climbing up to the glowing device. Her hand clasped over it and she prepped her omnitool. Harbinger's voice boomed in her mind, trying to overpower her.  _GIVE UP. LOVE IS A OBSTACLE. A WEAPON..._ Tali shouted back as she decided to forget the omnitool and got out her claymore. Lifting it into the air she shouted loudly, "OH SHUT UP ALREADY! YOU TALK TO MUCH!" She shoved the gun barrel into the device and pulled the trigger.

The blast threw her off the mech and onto the ground, the claymore sliding out of her now open hand. The device shattered from the shot, bits of the device spat into all directions. Vido shouted in anger, and turned towards Tali, assault cannons pointed towards her motionless body. She glared down the barrel of the weapon and for the first time since her indoctrination was...scared.

She crawled backwards, but Vido matched with every big step. Eventually he stopped and fired. She rolled out of the way, and her stomach cramped up. She vomitted once again and Vido took his chance, rearing the gun on her. She closed her eyes, awaiting the envitable. "NO!" she heard John shout. Then, like a massive explosion, she heard the wall explode nearby. Opening her eyes she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"Get away from my Tali you bosh'tet!" Shala shouted as her geth dropship smashed into Hastati, causing his shots to hit the glass from above, finally smashing it. The geth dropship continued to ram Hastati into the ground, finally downing the mech, and both crashed into the ground. She heard Garrus yell, "Why didn't I think of that!" Tali slowly stood up as she watched the hatch open and Shala step out, holding her chest.

Closely behind her, came Legion, sniper rifle ready. Instead of following Raan to Tali, he approached the motionless Hastati mech, which now lay crushed under the dropship's weight. Tali ran into Raan's awaiting embrace, "Auntie Raan! You came!" Shala laughed in happiness, "Of course! Meru would never forgive me for giving up on you!"

They just held each other as Legion searched the wreckage. Zaeed quickly appeared next to him, followed by Shepard and Kasumi. Shepard went and joined Tali and Shala, but Zaeed helped Legion investigate Hastati's ruins. "Massani-Commander, we have located Santiago-General." Zaeed heard this and ran over to Legion's location.

Meanwhile, Team Three's shuttle arrived and landed inside special projects. Running out, Joker just gasped and yelled, "Holy shit! Who drove that thing!?" Raan, laughing, said clearly, "I did." Joker looked at her as if she just announced that she'd killed a Thresher Maw, "Damn! I guess not all admirals are like Xen afterall."

Laughing, Raan just turned to the others and then turned to Hastati. As did Shepard. "Garrus, Grunt, Wrex, could you go retrieve Dav for me." Grunt and Wrex smiled but Garrus stopped for a second, "Alive or dead?" Shepard smiled, "Alive. I've got something special for him. Me and Raan are going to have a little talk..." Hearing Tali clear her throat he smiled and continued, "...and Tali will have a little talk with him as well."

Nodding, Garrus lead Grunt and Wrex upstairs. He watched as Legion pulled Vido out of the mech's wreckage by the scruff of his neck, "Put me down you synthetic piece of shit!" Complying, although not in the way Vido wanted, Legion threw Vido to the ground in front of Zaeed. Vido coughed and tried to stand up as Zaeed kicked him in the gut. "You're going to wish you had committed suicide Vido."

"Fuck you Massani..." Zaeed responded with another kick. "I didn't give you permission to speak." Zaeed stopped for a second before picking up Vido's communicator, speaking clearly into it, "This is Zaeed Massani to all Blue Suns forces. Vido Santiago is dead, I'm taking control. Put down you're weapons and rally at Special Projects. Massani out." Putting the communicator in his pocket, he smiled down at Vido. "Blue Suns belong to me now, you son of a bitch."

Shepard heard Shala's voice and turned to her. "Yes Shala?" he asked as he turned. "Our ships and Legion's are returning to Rannoch. The Alliance is moving in for clean up. Since the Normandy is destroyed, would you like passage on the Rayya? We can make room." Shepard nodded sadly. The Normandy had been destroyed, so they had no way home. Well, for him they did.  _Earth isn't home anymore, Rannoch is._ He put his arm around Tali's waist and held her close. Never again. "Yes, Thank you Auntie Raan. Now we probably should get up to the Rayya."

Seeing Garrus, Wrex and Grunt return dragging Dav, Shepard took Tali's hand as they headed outside.  _And I'm never letting her out of my sight again._

...

Hawk smashed his fist into the table. "Try again!" he shouted.  _How could Vido fail such a simplistic task. I knew it was idiotic allying with that imbecile._ "Negative sir, Vido isn't responding." Hawk nodded, "Disconnect. Pull back all our resources and cut ties with the Blue Suns. Time to find more useful allies. Ones that aren't useless mercs."

"Aye aye, sir." the comm officer replied, turning off his channel. Hawk sighed.  _I want results. If I don't get them, alot of people will be unhappy. Myself included_.  _Cerberus will rebuild, and when we return to the top, we can continue to research the Reapers. Find out their origins, and when we find out, oh yes, Humanity will be top dogs._

He finished off his coffee before leaving the room.  _Time for some more training. I'll finish Shepard and Tali myself if I have too._

...

"Dr. Chakwas, a word with you please." Shepard asked as he approached Dr. Chakwas in the Rayya's medbay. It had been 2 hours since they had departed Zorya, and they were well on their way back to Rannoch. Dr. Chakwas turned to him, smiling and deactivated her omnitool. "Yes Shepard, what can I do for you?"

"Well doctor, it's about Tali's pregnancy. I'm curious, just how is she pregnant with my child? I thought interspecies breeding with any other species non-asari was impossible." Chakwas nodded solemnly before bringing up her omnitool. "You're correct, it is impossible. She shouldn't be pregnant at all. You're semen just isn't compatible with her ova. It requires quarian...semen to impregnate."

"Yet she is pregnant. With my child. Screening doesn't lie doctor. So...how?" Chakwas sighed as she looked through her archives and then came across a file with the information. "Wait, Mordin was working on something during his time on the Normandy, before he left for STG again. Yes, a little blue vial..." Shepard, knowing what Chakwas was talking about, turned back to her. "Yes, he made a little blue vial and gave it to Tali to improve her immune system. He said it was work in progress, but with more time, it would improve it. He gave Lana the vial as well."

Chakwas nodded, "Yes, and one of the side effects, although the chances were very small, like 1 out of 1 million, was that it could cause pregnancy." She finished as turned off her omnitool, letting Shepard complete the answer. His eyes opened wide, "You're saying Tali is that 1 out of 1 million?" Chakwas nodded. Before she could continue, she heard Tali yelling and they both turned to the door as it burst open, Tali standing there.

She was cradling her stomach, panting heavily, obviously in pain. Turning to Shepard she shouted,  _very_ loudly.

"John! He's coming! Junior's coming!"

 **Bosh'tet:** Thought by many non-quarians to be the quarian equivalent of "son of a bitch" or "bastard." Surprisingly, it is actually the name of a animal native to Rannoch, similiar to Earth rats. It is a rodent to lives my scavenging, but has a very low intelligence, is quite irritating and lazy. It eats the excrement of other animals, using what's let of it as a home and the undigested bits as sustenance. It will eat any dung, even its own. It will defend its dung pile at any cost, even its own kind, and has been known to fight to the death. Quarians used it as a curse word for people who are being stupid, unresponsive, irritating or fighting for a worthless cause or reason.

**So Tali's about to give birth. Will she survive it? Find out in Chapter 20. With Vido now locked up with Zaeed tailgating him, and Dav at the edge of Shepard's knife, what will Hawk do? Oh, this story is far from over. We've barely begun my friends...**

"What could I possibly be suggesting? I mean, a young woman gets rescued by a dashing commander who lets her join his crew and then goes off to save the galaxy? How could she possibly develop any kind of interest in him?"

\- Tali


	21. Clan Hybrid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new Shepard joins the world. Dav and Vido get their comeuppance.

_**Clan Hybrid** _

"Wait, what!? Like, right now?" Shepard shouted, shocked. Tali was giving birth and he had no idea how to handle this. Tali just rolled her eyes, "No, in two hours you bosh'tet! I'm giving birth right now!" She managed to shout the last few words out before she screamed in pain. She held her stomach, screaming. Wiping away his shock for the moment, Shepard ran over to her and helped her onto a nearby bed.

Once she was on, Dr. Chakwas shooed him away as she began preparations. Turning to Shepard, who was looking at Tali with a shocked expression on his face, she said, "It would be best for the family to be present. It'll reassure her." Nodding, Shepard hurried everyone out of the medbay before leaving himself to make the call.

Keying his omnitool, he knew who to call first. He waited patiently as the call connected. Finally connected, he watched as Raan's face appeared on the screen. "John, what can I do for..." Shepard interrupted her immediately, "Shala, get to the Rayya's medbay quick. Tali's giving birth...to my child." Shala's eyes widened to their full extent as his words caused her to suddenly have a epiphany. "Seriously? But that's...never mind. I'm on my way! Garu, come with me!" She immediately disconnected the call and Shepard nodded, now connecting to Hannah.

What felt like 2 seconds later, Shala and Garu arrived at the door. Hannah still hadn't connected.  _Damn it Mum, answer!_ Before he could greet her, Shala stormed in. As the door closed, he could hear her shouting at the top of her lungs. She was very angry. Shepard glanced at Garu, who stood outside. He returned his glance, smiled and shrugged, "Tali's like the daughter she never had. She's afraid that Tali giving birth to you're child is going to hurt her. And, yeah. You think she's angry now, you should have seen her when she found out Tali...liked you."

 _Trust me, I have._ "Yeah, women are like that." Chuckling, Garu stood next to him, leaning on the wall alongside him. "You can talk now Shepard, but when you build Tali that house, damn. SHE owns you. Rank won't matter, women rule the house Shepard. Get used to folowing her orders." Shepard smiled amusingly, "Trust me, that's the day I look forward to. Hopefully, that will be very soon. As soon as we get back, me and Tali are going to look for a area to build on. She suggested the waterfall next  _Omxa il maaw_ , and I quite like the idea. Unfortunetly, it's not going to be the blissful days of just lying with her that I wished for."

Giving John a frown, Garu looked back at him. "What do you mean?" Shepard smiled and looked at him, "Children. Tali wants alot of them. I heard her say, to quote, 'I plan on having a very big clan.' No, unlike you said Garu, it's not going to be a life of just sitting on the veranda, holding her close and lazily watching the days go by. No, its going to be very hectic. I'll be surprised if I have anytime with her at all."

Garu chuckled, "You didn't think she'd forget did you? John, having a baby is one of the first things on a quarian couple's mind. I'm sure it was racing through Tali's mind as soon as she bonded to you." Shepard smiled and looked at him, "Then why haven't you and Shala had children yet?"

Garu's smile dropped and he looked at the ground solemnly. "You know that...accident on the Rayya that killed Tali's mother? Meru?" Shepard nodded, seeing this was serious. Garu continued, "Our daughter...her name was Yalu'Raan nar Tonbay, she was only six when she...she...succumbed to the same virus that took Meru." Garu tried holding back tears, but the memories were fresh in his mind. The memories of Shala silently crying over both Meru and Yalu's bodies. "I was there Shepard. I held Yalu in my arms as she died. I...I...wasn't quick enough. She was playing around without her suit. I...It was all my fault. If she'd gotten her suit just a little sooner, she might have come out with just a fever..."

Garu sniffled before turning to Shepard, noticing Hannah. "Oh, no point dwelling on the past. This is meant to be a happy time for you and Tali. I won't ruin it with memories like that. Plus, you're mother is waiting." Not even waiting for his answer, Garu walked inside the medbay. Shepard turned to Hannah, and saw her smile. "How much of that did you hear?" Hannah tried to smile, but it was obvious Garu and Shala's torments had affected her as well. She found the melancholy in the recount.

"It doesn't matter. You didn't ring me to listen to Garu tell me sad stories." Nodding, John regained his composure. "Yes! Tali's giving birth to my child and you're needed in the Rayya's medbay immediately!" Hannah was visibly shocked.  _Just like Shala._ "That's convenient! I was just on my way to the Rayya! I'll be there in 3!" She immediately disconnected. Nodding, John walked back inside the medbay.

He found Shala standing to the left of Tali as Garu sat on a bed opposite to her. Dr. Chakwas immediately turned to Shepard, but she didn't get anything out before Tali shouted out first "Quickly! Lock the door!" Complying, Shepard hit the door controls, keying it so it locked. Hannah would inform him when she was there. Turning back to Tali he gently smiled to reassure her as he moved to sit to her right. Sitting down, he took her hand and squeezed it gently. She turned to him and smiled at the gesture but immediately retracted as her stomach unleashed a wave of pain again.

As dense as he was, Shepard hadn't noticed Tali wasn't in her suit. At least not the lower portion. The majority of the suit from below her breasts and further had been removed. Afterall, it would be stupid to give birth INSIDE the suit. He also knew the other reason. Tali was still visibly reluctant to show her face to anyone who wasn't him, even Shala. She was still visibly shaking. Afterall, Garu was in the room. Quarian Females were noticably very nervous to exit their suit in front of males, it was a gesture done only with lifemates.

Garu took the hint and tapped Shala's visor before leaving the room. At that very moment, Hannah ran in. "Hope I'm not late Tali dear." Hannah said. "Not at all." Tali responded in kind. Shala couldn't help but bring up the next bit, it was nagging at her. "Tali, how do you feel? Any whispers in you're head?" Tali snapped to look at Shala. She understood her concern, she had been indoctrinated not too long ago. "None actually. I feel great, except a minor headache. I imagine I'll be getting those for the rest of my life. But I'll adapt." She said. It felt good to be with John again, finally breaking free of her chains.

"That's good, I..." Hannah didn't get to finish as Tali then gasped loudly before beginning to scream, "He's coming! This time for...ARGH!" Dr. Chakwas reacted within seconds, as did Tia and the other quarian doctors around her. Tali had chosen Chakwas to perform the operation of removing the baby, as she had known Chakwas much longer. Shepard braced himself for a very long 15 minutes.

...

Tali let out a final, long scream as the baby finally came out. She took rapid breaths as she felt absolutely exhausted. Shepard just laughed lightly, holding her hand, assuring her it was all over. She smiled as well as Chakwas walked over to her, baby in hand. The baby was wrapped in a fine cloth, white in nature, so as to cover the baby's private areas. Shala smiled under mask, as did Hannah.

Tali took in the baby's facial features. It had the normal face of a quarian, but lacked the silvery glow in the eyes.  _Yes, definitely human quarian hybrid._ The baby had the three fingered hands and toes of a quarian as well, so she didn't notice anything specifically human apart from the eyes. Then it dawned on her. This baby wasn't in a bubble.  _Human immune system._ She smiled massively as Chakwas gently slid the baby into Tali's arms, holding it close. Tali cried in joy. John moved in closer, as to get a better look at the latest member of Clan Shepard.

They looked at each other for a moment, both smiled, and looked back down at the baby. Not leaving the baby's gaze, she asked, "What is it?" she asked. Chakwas knew what she was asking, and replied in kind, "A boy." She smiled even wider. "John, let's name him Rael." Shepard looked at her and immediately understood her reasons. "Very well," looking at Rael he said, "Welcome to Clan Shepard, Rael'Shepard nar Rayya." Tali lost her smile for a second. She had wanted to Rael to become 'nar Normandy', but with the Normandy destroyed, that wasn't going to happen.

They both just enjoyed the blissful moment before Shala retrieved the baby from Tali. She didn't want to let go, and she held back. Shala smiled.  _Of course we females will be overprotective of our young. It's a natural instinct. A mother will refuse to give up their newborn. I know, me and Meru had a big fight before she finally gave Tali to me to place in a bubble. Just like when Meru took Yalu from me..._  She shook that thought away. She wasn't about to let sad recounts like that ruin this moment.

John whispered in Tali's ear, "It's okay Tali. Shala's going to put Rael somewhere safe. Let go...Let go...Let go..." Tali eventually, complied loosening her grip. Shala took Rael and began to walk down the medbay towards another bed. Rael didn't need a bubble, as his immune system was human, so she placed him on one of the beds at the end. Chakwas, nodding, began to fit Tali's suit back on. With help from Shepard, they had it back on in no time. Tali still felt exhausted from her labor, and simply sat up on the bed's edge as she held her head in her palm.

Shepard sat up next to her, rubbing her back gently. She leaned onto him, letting her head rest on his shoulder. Hannah and Shala were currently admiring Rael while Tia had been finishing the scans on Tali, to make sure she wouldn't be nauseous anymore. Sure she wouldn't be, Tia lead the other doctors out, and left. Caught up in the blissful moment of Rael's birth, Shepard had almost forgotten a very special person was waiting for torture.  _Two Wrongs don't make a right. But at this moment, I don't care. They hurt Tali, that's all the motivation I need._

Gently encouraging Tali to lift her head, he jumped off the bed and shouted out for Shala to join him. She saw this but raised a finger to her speech indicator.  _Of course, you idiot. Rael's asleep. Wait, my shouting should have..._ Shepard thought. Shala thought the same and turned to see Rael awake, but not crying. Babies usually always cried when their sleeping was interrupted, but Rael just stared into Shala's mask.

Tali just giggled as she joined John in standing up. "I see Rael's already absorbed his father's traits. Determination, Courage, Strength!" she teased. John gave her a amused look but knew she was right. Rael was going to be just like his father, but what trait on Rael would be Tali's? Would he be a brilliant tech? Kind? Whatever one, he would find out in 7 or so years.

Turning to Shala he shouted again, "Come on Shala, let's not keep Dav waiting." Nodding, Shala ran up to join him. Tali frowned, "What are you two up too?" Glancing at each other, Shala and John looked back at Tali, "Giving that scumbag, that bosh'tet, a taste of his own medicine Tali." Shepard said. Tali wanted to laugh at his use of the word  _bosh'tet,_ but didn't. John was really starting to get this.

"Don't forget, I am the one he tortured. Indoctrinated. Keelah, he made me do so many horrible things to you. Its about time I repayed the favor. But first, I think I'll pay Vido a visit..." Before either Shala or John could say anything, Tali sprinted out of the medbay, whooshing past a startled Garu and running down the hallway. Shala and John chuckled at Garu's timing of arrival as he turned to them.

"Mrs. Shepard's in a rush." Garu said as he joined them. Shala stopped laughing, followed by John. "Can't talk now Garu, have someone I want to have a talk with. Same with John. I'll see you later." Shala said as she walked out, John close behind her. As the medbay door closed, Garu just shrugged and approached Rael's bed.

...

Vido suddenly awoke. All he could see was the pitch black of the room he resided in. He knew he had restraints, as he could feel them weighing down on his wrists and legs. He looked around frantically until his eyes finally stopped on a pair of seemingly hovering, silver dots, floating like stars in space.

He was about to try and walk towards the light, but realized how they were alligned.  _Eyes._ The next occurance confirmed his thoughts. Just below the floating eyes, a brighter dot appeared, appearing and disappearing as the figure spoke, "Does this ring a bell, Vido?" He instantly recognized the voice. "Damn quarian bitch! Where's Massani! or is he letting quarians do his dirty work now?" He yelled. A light flickered on, illuminating the feminine outline of Tali. She slowly walked forward and then leaned in front of Vido whispering, "A bit hypocritical, don't you think?"

Before Vido could continue, Tali punched in the jaw, hard. Pulling back her fist, she walked to the other side of the room where a door awaited. As the door opened, he saw Zaeed waiting. Tali turned to Vido one last time before saying, "You've had you're fun, I think its Zaeed's turn." With that, she walked through the door and left. Zaeed entered as the door closed, and a large smile played across his face. "Finally, I've been waiting for this moment for 21 years."

Vido just laughed, "Do you're worst Zaeed. Nothing you do will scare me." Zaeed laughed back as he pulled out a tiny, razor sharp knife. "Not even this? This is going to be slow and painful Vido. Here, let me give you a demonstration." Moving forward, Zaeed rammed the knife down hard on Vido's thumb.

Shepard smiled as he heard Vido's screams for mercy pierce the door.  _Have fun Zaeed._ Getting up, Shepard took Tali's hand and together they moved towards the second interrogation room, where Dav was waiting. Reaching the doorway, they could hear perfectly clear that Shala was having fun shouting down Dav. Walking inside, still hand in hand, they saw Shala punch Dav again, his mask shattering. "YOU ARE A DISGRACE TO OUR PEOPLE! HOW DARE YOU TOUCH MY TALI! AS AN ADMIRAL I SHALL MAKE YOU FEEL PAIN LIKE YOU NEVER HAVE...oh, John, Tali. Dav's been eagerly," she said as he once again punched him, "awaiting you're arrival." She smiled a bigger grin as she heard Dav's gasp of pain.

Shepard looked down at Dav's weakened form and back at Shala, "We were just discussing pain with Vido. Sorry were late Dav. But just one thing." Shepard approached Dav and said only one sentence as he lunged forward, "This is for Tali." Omniblade out, he stabbed Dav right in the right shoulder blade. Dav screamed in pain, and further more as Shepard twisted it left, then right before ripping it out finally and deactivating it.

He rejoined Tali, and held her close. He knew Dav was tied down, but with him and Tali in the same room, he felt the need to keep Tali close, as if afraid he'll lose her again. Dav chuckled, looking at Tali, "How's that baby going? Hope its dead. And I hope you die, goddamn bitch. You must felt like such a slut for sleeping with me. How does it feel Shepard? Knowing that you're lifemate slept with me. Must really anger you right?"

Tali felt enraged at Dav's comment, but Shepard was shocked.  _Tali slept with this asshole? In the same bed? Naked? Well, she was indoctrinated, she was being forced._ Tali snapped back, " _Rael_ is doing fine. I'm going to be fine..." she didn't get to finish as Shala grabbed out her pistol and shot Dav in the left shoulder. He winced in pain. Lowering her weapon, Shala yelled, "AND DON'T YOU DARE CALL HER A SLUT! SHE WAS FORCED!" Dav chuckled again, "Oh, she enjoyed it. Every last second of it. I remember clearly as she rode me into the bed. Oh yes, she loved every secon..."

"NO! THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Tali yelled as she leapt on Dav and then began clawing at Dav's face. Shepard wanted Dav dead, and he would die, but not yet. Dav deserved to have a slow and painful death. He moved up and ripped Tali off of him and held her gently as he finally calmed down. Putting her down, he turned her around and hugged her. Dav just chuckled through his cough. He was sick, the new, fresh claw marks all over his face weren't helping.

Letting go, Tali turned back to Dav and regained her posture. Shepard wasn't happy to learn that Tali had actually  _joined_ with this bastard, but he would to it she was the last Dav ever joined with. Tali felt ashamed about the things she did. She did indeed enjoy the ecstasy of joining with Dav, but she had been indoctrinated and fooled into thinking he was her lifemate. She did what every lifemate does with theirs, she joined with him. That would never happen again and all of a sudden, she felt the sudden urge, the desire building up in her to join with John. But that could wait. First, Dav needed to be taught a lesson. One he would never forget as he died.

By  _her_ hand.

...

"ARGH!" Vido screamed again as Vido once again cut off another finger. He was missing all his fingers now, and he had only his left hand left. Zaeed just chuckled, "Come on Vido, all the years I've known you, I never knew you to be a whiner." Vido eyed Zaeed angrily. "I'll have you're head Massani."

Zaeed stood up and laughed long and loudly. Done, he turned back to Vido with a fake empathetic look, "I OWN the Blue Suns now Vido. You're little base is gone, you're fleet in ruin. The only head you'll get is you're own hanging up on MY office wall, in MY base." Zaeed said as he lowered his knife to Vido's pinky and moved down to cut it.

Next door, Vido could hear Dav's screams.  _Of course Shepard will be in there. Poor quarian bastard, even Zaeed is a tickler compared to him. I did take his pet after..._ That thought was replaced with ones of excruitating pain as Zaeed cut his pinky off. His finger then hit the chair arms and fell to the ground, joining the pile of fingers Zaeed had cut off. Finally finished with his fun, he let Vido keep his other four fingers and stood up, sheathing the knife.

Walking back, he equipped his pistol. "You know Vido, I could think of a million and one ways to make you feel so much pain. One of them involves acid, another involves drilling into you're eye socket. I plan to utilize both in the same fashion. First things first..." Zaeed shot Vido in the legs, causing him to grunt in pain.

Laughing, Zaeed equipped a long needle and Vido saw its contents.  _Sulfuric Acid._ This made even Vido twinge in fear. Not only was Zaeed going to drill into his eyesocket, but he would inject acid into his head at the same time, melting his insides. "I've had my fun, now to end you're life VERY painfully Vido. You deserve this. You really should have committed suicide."

Grabbing Vido's neck, Zaeed thrust the needle straight into Vido's right eye. A long perpetuated scream emanated from Vido has his right eye burst open, its mucky contents spilling onto Zaeed's uniform and blood spurting into multiple directions. Slowly, Zaeed injected the contents into Vido's face. Vido's face quickly began to sizzle and froth, with bits of skin looking like waves on the ocean, skin peeling off and melting. Vido continued to scream as Zaeed stepped back to admire his work. Within a minute, Vido was unrecognizable. All that was left was one hell of a deformed head, the remnants of the acid hitting the deck and melting away.

He dropped the needle on the ground and as he left he spoke into his mic, contacting his supplier, "Nice job, that solution really worked. I'm curious, how did you learn of this technique? I didn't know you synthetics used this to kill you're enemies."

"Massani-General, it was not hard. Many creators used it during the Morning War as a execution technique on geth units. This was only used by the more sadistic and prejudiced creators of the northern region of Rannoch, and was not implemented by the south. But you are welcome Massani-General. Now I must talk with Shepard-Captain and Creators Tali'Shepard and Shala'Raan, they are discussing ways to kill Dav slowly."

Zaeed smiled eagerly. Looking at the needle he laughed, "Tell them to use this technique." With that, Zaeed left Vido's body to rot, the door closing behind him.

...

"What's wrong Shepard? You're precious little Tali not worth all the..." Dav didn't get to finish as Shepard kicked him in the face again. Spitting out blood, Dav just mockingly laughed. He stopped as he heard Vido screaming once again, but much louder and more pronounced. "I see Vido isn't getting any special treatment." Shepard just smiled, "No, Zaeed is having a few words with him."

"I didn't know words could be spoken with fists and screams. Hell, I would be doing it now. You're attacks bore me, Shepard." Shepard sighed but then had an epiphany.  _I bet male quarians are just like humans. I wonder...would he hate being bashed by a girl?_ Turning to Tali, he nodded to tell her it was her turn. "He's all yours  _Saera,_ show this bastard what you're made of." Tali smiled behind her mask, one Shepard recognized easily and reciprocated, as she executed a human gesture that involved cracking their fists.

Once done, she quickly approached Dav. He chuckled, "Oh no, the quarian  _Tzzazik_  is going too..." At the word tzzazik, Shala went to strike out, but Shepard held her back, his eyes telling her all.  _Let her handle this._ Shala nodded and pulled her hand back, watching Tali and Dav's movements. The word 'slut' had clearly upset Tali, but she seemed to ignore it. She continued her walk around Dav's chair. She was like a predator, toying with its prey before moving in for the kill.  _Well ancient quarian females were deadly hunters. Before the rise of technology on Rannoch, the females apparently were superior to males in both weaponry, hunting and stalking their prey. Natural killers. Of course that changed as they evolved to become more civilized._

Tali's walk around the chair held Shepard in a trance. The way she walked, waving her hips from side to side, it made him think Tali was trying to seduce him in her own intimate way. But she had her eyes set on torturing Dav, so whatever she was doing, it wasn't seduction. Tali finally stopped, grabbed the knife out of her boot which Shepard had given back to her, and reached up to place it just an inch away from Dav's throat. On instinct, Dav moved his head up as Tali's came closer.

"You touched me, you violated my body, you turned me against my lifemate, you did horrible things you shouldn't have. You are a disgrace to our people, to the galaxy. You're a perfect example of what we, as a people, should aspire not to be. The Quarian Republic has begun, we have Rannoch again, and the fleet can stop running. The geth are now our allies. But you Dav, scum like you need to be picked off the galaxy's boots and crushed like the  _roshnel_ you are." Tali said, her voice full of vehemence, malice, and venom. Tali always feared this side of Tali. It only showed when she was protecting him or originally, when the geth were her enemies. It was a side he always avoided.

"And now, I have a chance to purge you like the disease you are.  _VALUAS'CAL XYSOS!"_ Shala gasped at Tali's recital of the words, words that hadn't been said since the Rannochian Civil Wars, words thought long dead. Shepard didn't understand the words so made a mental note to ask later. Shala shook her head as Tali brought her knife down deep into Dav's chest. Dav screamed in pain as Tali twisted and turned the knife. Just then, Legion's voice came through her headset, "Creators, Shepard-Captain, Massani-General has suggested using sulfuric acid in a needle to stab into the Orbit of Dav's head. Once there, inject fluid into Dav's head to burn his insides. As from Vido's screams, it is a very painful death. One of the most painful in modern times."

Tali smiled. Just what Dav deserves. But since it had been alreadt used, Tali decided to use another idea. Ripping the knife and gazing upon the blood that oozed along its surface, Tali turned to face Dav. She could tell Shala was eying her with concern after the words she used, afterall, they were words so horrific that they were considered the apex of curse words, sort've like the human word 'fuck' but its meaning was alot worse than that.

Turning to them she nodded nervously to reassure Shepard that she wasn't slipping back into her previous state and took the needle from her utility belt, and took the blue vial that Mordin had given her. Smiling, she took a bit of her nutrient paste and mixed it in with the mixture. If her research was correct, this would bring Dav the worst death imaginable in modern times.

Once inserted into the syringe, she moved forward and ripped Dav's helmet right off, life support cabling ripping out with it. His face was a battered wreck, and he was quite possibly the ugliest person he'd ever seen. Not even hesitating, she stabbed him in the scalp and injected the substance. He barely flinched after she injected the fluid and she stepped back. She didn't want to see what happened next. She embraced John, burying her face in his chest, seeking protection from the insuing mess.

Dav began screaming and his head expanded. Veins began popping out like a soar thumb and Shala saw where this was going. Turning her back to Dav she turned off her auditory filters to shut out Dav's painful screaming. Eventually, the screaming stopped. Reactivating her filters, her olfactory filters began to overload with a dreaded smell: rotting flesh. Turning around, she almost gagged at the sight. Dav's head was completely missing, only the pulpy lower half of his jaw remained. Bits of his brain soaked his upper suit, making him a bloody red example of horror. Dav was a complete and utter mess, and the blood just kept oozing out.

"The mixture entered his bloodstream and infected it. The Blood began to rapidly thicken and then the infection began tapping into the bodies red and white blood cells, using them as a vehicle to expand. The replication of the cells caused well...you know the rest." Tali explained. Yeah, Shepard felt sick. The sight was disatrous, but Tali was worrying him. Death had always troubled her, but here she seemed too...enjoy it. "Tali, could I speak with you. Shala, if you could get people to clean that up."

Nodding, Shala watched as Tali and Shepard walked hand in hand outside. Once the doors closed and Shala disappeared, Shepard turned to Tali, holding her at arms length, "Tali! What has gotten into you! Why the craving for violence!" Tali sighed. She knew she had seriously worried him, and immediately regretted her actions. She had wanted revenge against Dav, but instead ended up being as bad as him.

"He was a  _Hrarxa,_  he not only declared war against you, but against me. You're a part of me John. The pain he inflicted on you when he took me, only now do I feel it. It hurts. I wanted revenge for what he did not only to me, but especially you. His retribution was fitting." Shepard continued to hold her, "But its not like you! You've always been kind, caring and loving. But in there, you're just like the ancient female quarians, you were a ruthless killing machine!"

Tali nodded solemnly. "I'm sorry I scared you John. I won't it again, I promise." Shepard nodded, smiled and closed the gap, hugging her tightly. Tali reciprocated the gesture, holding him close, her head buried deep in her chest. "Now,  _Nehya,_ I'd like to request a clean room. I've felt this need to...you know. It's been nagging at me John. I need it. I need to vent this sudden desire..." Shepard didn't let her finish, he just raised a finger to her speech indicator and kissed her mask. Resting his forehead on her visor he said, "Don't worry, I feel the need as well. I need to gaze upon you're face again, to know you'll leave me again."

Tali smiled and tapped her mask against his forehead. "Well, let's not keep it waiting. Shala gave me the code for early access long before. She knew the need would arise and planned accordingly. Come John, I feel like I need a neck to nibble on." she said, recounting John's words on Rannoch all those months ago.

Smiling as she used his words against him, "Come on you bosh'tet, you said we shouldn't keep the others waiting." Giggling, Tali took his hand and they walked towards the nearest clean room. Later, after their joining, she would have to ask about why he now used that curse word.

 **Roshnel:** Curse Word used by quarians to describe traitors. The word was developed around the time of the Rannochian Civil Wars, essentially around the time of the quarian's 'medieval' age. Literal Translation: Traitorous Citizen.

 **Bosh'tet:** Thought by many non-quarians to be the quarian equivalent of "son of a bitch" or "bastard." Surprisingly, it is actually the name of a animal native to Rannoch, similiar to Earth rats. It is a rodent to lives my scavenging, but has a very low intelligence, is quite irritating and lazy. It eats the excrement of other animals, using what's let of it as a home and the undigested bits as sustenance. It will eat any dung, even its own. It will defend its dung pile at any cost, even its own kind, and has been known to fight to the death. Quarians used it as a curse word for people who are being stupid, unresponsive, irritating or fighting for a worthless cause or reason.

 **Hrarxa:** Term used to describe anything that affects a clan negatively. Literal translation: Insult to my clan's honor. Insulting a clan's honor is considered an insult to every clan member. In ancient times it was enough to cause a war. 3000 years ago, the word was used as the quarian's way of instigating a battle.

 **Nehya:** Term of endearment, similar to sweetheart. Literal translation: Interesting one. Used primarily at the beginning of a relationship to signify a desire to know the person on a more personal level, to get to know them better.

 **Saera:** Term used when speaking to ones lifemate. Literal translation: My souls soul. Other meanings include, but are not limited to: Keeper of my soul and My souls protector. Most commonly used word throughout the fleet by a quarian when speaking privately to their lifemate. Though unconfirmed by any quarian, there are implications that this word holds extreme intimacy as well as absolute trust. No single human word or phrase encompassed all that this one short word implies as it appears to contain both dominance and submissive traits.

 **Valuas'cal Xysos:** Term used during war when one declared an execution. Literal Translation: Vermin, you will be exterminated. It was used by old quarian clan elders and leaders during the Rannochian Civil Wars, also known as the 'Great Reaffirmation' when another clan was destroyed and any survivors were brought to face the elder of the victorious clan. The leader would call out this term when he decided to execute the survivors. The term was later dropped as it was later used as a disgusting curse word that many quarians found insulting, and eventually the word was never used again. Tali's used of the word was unexpected, as its meaning can only be found in the Scrolls of the Ancestors.

 **Tzzazik:** Term used when describing traitorous lifemates. Literal Translation: Unknown. Used as a curse word, but all translations lead to the word 'slut'. The actual translation is unknown, even to the quarian people themselves. Due to Shala's reaction though, it is likely she knew what it meant.

**Yes, I've began to introduce my own quarian words. I had previously, but I think I will still adopt Callinstel's current khelish vocabulary, and add on to it.**

**Thanks for reading, more coming soon :)**

"Anyone who fights us is either stupid or on Saren's payroll. Killing the latter is business. Killing the former is a favor to the universe."

\- Wrex


	22. Rael'Shepard nar Rannoch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the Blue Suns defeated, Hawk makes some adjustments to their plan. Rael'Shepard shocks his parents.

_**Rael'Shepard nar Rannoch** _

Shepard's eyes darted open. He was like a soldier during an enemy raid, fully ready to expect anything, anyone to attack him and Tali. But he found nothing. No, all he found was the adorable image of Rael sleeping next to him along with Tali on the otherside. When they got into the clean room, Tali had decided to just hold him close, but without the suit. They had brought Rael with them, as to hav a first family union.

Shepard smiled as he lay back down, looking at Tali and Rael happily sleeping. Tali still had hints of someone who was having trouble coming to terms with what she did. Shepard agreed, he ripped his look away and up at the ceiling.  _Why did we do that? Was that torture nesscary? It was unavoidable with Zaeed of course, but me and Tali? Did Dav deserve that? Yes. Should we have done it anyway? No. Were just like them, we've become like them._ The thought of Tali becoming a merciless killing machine was too horrible a thought to think about.

Instead, he let his eyes close and think of happy things. Blissful things. It was finally over, he could just cuddle with his new family and build them a home. What felt like minutes later, Shepard felt himself waking up. Opening his eyes, he found Rael and Tali missing. He looked up at the ceiling and felt his muscles tighten. Stretching, he waited for the last muscle to pop before sitting up. Well, he quickly found Tali and Rael. Tali was holding Rael in her arms in a typical motherly way, and it was obvious Rael was breastfeeding from her.  _Well, another thing to add to the similiaraties between our females and quarian females. They both breastfeed._ Rubbing his eyes, he grabbed his boxers and pulled them on before standing up to join Tali and Rael.

Tali was too busy looking down at the sleeping form of Rael in her arms to really notice. Not until of course, he wrapped his arms around her, then she took notice. "Good Morning John." she stated merrily, and Shepard reciprocated her greeting, "Good morning...beautiful." he said this before moving up and lightly kissing her on the lips. Pulling back from the kiss, Tali returned to Rael. "Well, I'm surprised you're breastfeeding already Tali." Shepard said. Tali giggled, "Rael was hungry, so I gave him something to eat. I let you sleep, looked like you needed it more than me."

Shepard nodded in agreement. He hadn't slept for ages since Tali's abduction. Sleeping without Tali was near impossible. "But I think he's had enough. I'm going to take him back to his bed after I put my suit back on." Tali stated as she gently pulled Rael away from her breast, letting the shirt she had recovered slip back over it. Rael didn't complain or cry, he just slept. Like a little angel. "According to mum, I was never like Rael. I was always crying and complaining, never wanting to leave Meru. Rael was a caring father back then. But after Mum's death it..." Tali shook away her sadness and lay Rael on the bed. Once done, she began collecting the bits of her suit left scattered around the room. John laughed.

Tali turned around and gave him a death stare, "Oh shut up you bosh'tet, I was in a hurry. Besides, the mask over there was your fault." John turned to see Tali's mask resting a meter away from the door. He continued laughing as he collected his pants, shirt and boots. Once he was fully dressed he just stood and watched as Tali slowly and seductively slid back into her suit. It was like torture. Eventually when all she had to do was put on her helmet and visor, she turned to John, her silver eyes glowing as they always do.

"John, why don't you take Rael back to the medbay. Tia will want to make sure his health is sound. I'll meet you there soon. Just need to finish with my suit." Nodding, he quickly gave her a soft kiss before moving back and gently picking up Rael. Holding him in his arms, Shepard left the clean room, door closing behind him. As he approached the medbay, he could hear the subtle yelling of Tia and Dr. Chakwas, they were yelling at each other. Shepard quickly picked up the pace to the medbay until he was able to just walk in, where he found Tia and Dr. Chakwas staring each other down.

"What's going on here?" Shepard asked, holding Rael close protectively. Dr. Chakwas and Tia's looks snapped to Shepard and then immediately to Rael. "So he did take him!" Tia yelled out before lunging to grab Rael. Shepard saw this and sidestepped, "Yes, Tali wanted to be with her son, and do did I, you've got a problem with that?" Tia rolled her eyes, "Are you insane! He needs a bubble or he'll die from open air exposure to the..." It finally dawned on Shepard what was going on, so he took his chance to interrupt. "Hold up, this is a quman were talking about. He's got a human immune system, I checked. He doesn't need a bubble."

Tia facepalmed. "You don't know that for sure..." Shepard was prepared to retort but Chakwas butted in, "I checked Tia. It's what I've been trying to tell you. He isn't fully quarian, you have to accept that. And Shepard, a Quman?" Shepard laughed, "Cause Human-Quarian Hybrid is just too long to say in conversation, doc." Chakwas gave a soft smile, "I take it your here to return him to his actual resting area? Just put him on the bed at the end." Nodding, Shepard moved towards the end bed just as Tali entered.

He approached the end bed and gently placed Rael on it before turning to Tali and smiling. Taking her hand in his, he quicky nodded to Tia and Chakwas before he and Tali left the room. Still holding her hand, he decided it was time to address the issue of Rannoch. Once they were in a isolated area, he turned her around and looked deep into her eyes. "Tali we need to talk. It's about Rannoch." Tali's eyes expanded in fear, but she understood. "If you don't want to live on Rannoch anymore, that's okay. I understand if leaving Earth will be too hard for..." Leaning in closer, Shepard managed to get Tali to stop talking.

"Tali, you mean everything to me. You're happiness is my happiness. You want to live on Rannoch, I do too. Don't ever think that I don't want this. It's just, how do we get the resources to build you that house?" Tali smiled at his confession. It was clear he cared for her ever since they bonded, but she smiled nonetheless. "I honestly don't know John. With Rael around now it'll be even more difficult. But we'll find a way  _Saera_ , we always do. Do you think Rael would be even alive if not for you?" She let her hand stroke his cheek. He smiled. "I know, it'll be difficult, but with you at my side, we'll pull it off. But just so you know, I'm not going to be building it all by myself. I'm building a team, and I need the best..."

Giggling, Tali said, "Don't worry, I'll help John. By giving you some...motivation." She said seductively. Shepard shook his head, "You know what I mean. Garrus has already decided to help, as has Legion." Tali nodded and let her hand fall to inbetween them where realized one very important thing. "John, my pal'tec vis Surden...Vido took it. I'm so sorry..." The happy moment turned to one of sadness. She felt ashamed, John had gone through alot to get her that, and now she had lost it to some mercenary. Shepard hugged her as he said, "Tali, I don't need some pal'tec vis surden to know I love you, but if it troubles you that much, I'll have..." The moment was interrupted by none other than Zaeed Massani himself.

"Sorry to ruin you're moment, but I think you might be looking for this...thing." He tossed the pal'tec vis surden he recovered from Vido's pockets and Shepard caught it easily. Shepard turned to thank him, but Zaeed was already gone. Smiling, he slid the pal'tec vis surden back where it belonged; the pocket above her breasts. Tali looked down at it, happy to have it back. "When we get back to Rannoch, you're going to be wearing a necklace with your pal'tec hanging from it, like it should." He said it with as much love as he could. But he didn't need to, Tali understood the love behind the words.

She smiled, and looked up to him, leaning her visor against his head, "A life where you can gaze upon my face as much as you wish, cuddle me without suits in the way, a day where I am free of this...prison." She said, looking at her suit. Shepard smiled, "A life I look forward to Tali, but I hope you haven't forgotten to, uh, padlock our room's door."

It took Tali a moment to realise what he meant and then she teasingly, and lightly, pushed him. "John! We are no padlocking our door! And I definitely need to get one of those buttoned sleeping gowns so as to keep some very naughty hands out." They both laughed as they stood there, gazing into each other's eyes. The moment was blissful.

...

"Any word on Shepard? Or his pet? And what about Dav and Vido?" Hawk impatiently asked, his anger peaked. He needed to know what their fates were so he could plan his next move accordingly. He would not initiate Operation: PENTAGON until he was absolutely sure his sources were correct. If so, PENTAGON would take care of Shepard and Tali once and for all.

"Yes sir, Morph reports that Shepard managed to release Tali from her indoctrination, and Vido and Dav were captured thereafter. The Blue Suns are firmly under Zaeed Massani's control sir. Also, our insides sources report that Dav and Vido were tortured and executed...painfully." Hellion stated, finishing his report. Hawk shook his head disappointedly. He should have expected someone like Vido to fail, and Dav was a quarian, so no surprises there either.

"Anything else?" Hawk requested. Hellion nodded, "Yes, Mrs. Shepard has just given birth to Shepard's child. It's a quarian-human hybrid." Hawk's eyes widened in fury. "WHAT!?"  _Too far Shepard, too far. First you fall in love with a suit rat, then you marry the suit rat, now you have babies with the suit rat? UNACCEPTABLE! I will destroy the abomination that pathetic quarian has created._ "Now we have a pet's pet to deal with too. You are dismissed Hellion. Recall Morph."

Hellion nodded and bowed, before turning and leaving. Hawk sighed.  _How long will it take for Shepard to realise that you can't fall in love with an alien? It's not only impossible but its...disgusting. How could he love something that lives behind a mask. Revolting. Makes me sick._ He decided to initiate the operation, as it was possibly the only way to get rid of that pesky quarian and her human 'lifemate.' He had had enough of playing games, now he would finish Shepard and Tali once and for all.

Keying his comm, he spoke clearly, "Romulus Regiment Delta, report to the Lithios immediately." He then switched comms, "Lithios, Romulus Regiment Delta is boarding. Once everyone is aboard, head for Rannoch and assault the city of Unastali. Find Shepard and Tali, and kill them."

Not waiting for an answer, Hawk disconnected the comms.  _You can't run forever Shepard, this time you will have to face us. And what ever shall you do when I kill you're precious little pet?_

...

Shepard and Tali lazily stood on the Rayya' observation deck, watching as the quarian and geth fleets glided through FTL alongside them, enroute to the Tikkun System. Shepard held Tali in a half hug, his arm wrapped around her arm as her head rested on his shoulder, neither saying a word as the minutes rapidly went by, both of them basking in the peaceful transit.

The peace was only interrupted by the beeping of Tali's omnitool, in which she gently encouraged Shepard to let go of her so she could see who it was. Letting go, Shepard watched as Tali activated her omnitool. Seeing that it was from Han, she opened the message.

_From: Admiral Han'Gerrel vas Rannoch, Quarian Republican Defense Commission, QRV Rayya_

_To: Admiral Tal'Shepard vas Rannoch, Head of Quarian Conclave_

_Subject: Admiralty, Switch of Positions and Meeting_

_I am sorry to interrupt Shepard, but I must inform you of a change of policy in the Migrant Fleet._

_Due to the foundation of Unastali on Rannoch, the Conclave and Admiralty Board in unison have decided to form our republican government. The Admiralty Board remains in control of the Migrant Fleet, but no longer holds any political power. I am in charge of our people's main military force and Naval fleet, while Raan has become a senator in the new Conclave. Koris has been put up for election as Head of our people. I must agree that none of us are fit as leader of our people. Koris is best for the job, afterall, he was the most hardcore geth apologist. You however, due to your original status as Head of the Admiralty, has been put up as the main candidate to be Head of the Conclave._

_Before you go all anti-politician on me, hear me out. The Conclave has switched roles. Due to the formation of the Republic, the Conclave no longer holds absolute power. Of course they remain a political force, but they no longer enforce any particular regime or pact like they originally did. Taigan'Latsow, as original head of the Conclave, is your only rival, and I know you'd do everything in your power to make he won. Just remember, this is your people. I know you've been planning for a happy life with John, and I wish you two the best of luck, but your people need you Tali. You may not be the political type, but you fought alongside John Shepard, a man our people consider a hero. They consider you two to be the modernized version of Tross'Larik and Allia, that's good. If you become head of the Conclave, it'll boost morale._

_Now, the Admiralty is having a meeting over what happens next. Of course the Admiralty will never be the same, and all Admirals are requested to bring their lifemates. And as to warn you, Daro'Xen has become the new head of the Admiralty. Were trying to find a loophole that we can use to weed her out, to throw her out, but so far we've had no success. Be careful, she hasn't changed at all. She's still the insane bosh'tet she's always been. Don't get your hopes up._

_May the Ancestors watch over you and John._

_Admiral Han'Gerrel vas Rannoch, Quarian Republican Commission, QRV Rayya_

Tali reread the message again just to let it sink in.  _I want to live with John, raise Rael the way my father should have and he wants me to be a politician. He's right, I'm not the political type, and I never will be. My people don't need a political moron like me leading them. I'll stick to Engineering and being an Admiral if anything._

Turning to John, she knew she had to at least go to the meeting. "John, Han'Gerrel's requesting a meeting with all Admiralty members and their lifemates. It's about the future of Quarian government. Like I said, lifemates can come, so will you come with me?" Tali finished as she deactivated her omnitool. John smiled, "I go where you go. Politics or not." Tali smiled and they held each others hands as they headed for the Rayya's War Room. Thanks to the Rayya's dreadnought reclassification, the ship had changed as much internally as it did externally.

Manned gunning batteries were all Tali and Shepard could see, and the corridors were patrolled constantly by armed Quarian Marines. Among this new detail, Geth security detail as well, but the current guard was for the Admiralty only. Legion had understood that Tali was near Shepard, so found giving her a honor guard wasn't nessacary. They continued walking down the Dreadnought's halls as they passed more gunning batteries. Once the Bakala was refitted, she would be assigned to as the command vessel of one of the three planned quarian fleets: The Armed Response Fleet, or simply ARF, which was the main military fleet, would be headed by the Rayya, the more heavily armed of the newly converted Dreadnoughts. This fleet dealt with the defense of Rannoch and the Republic's colonies, and would be the main force used if the quarian people went to war again. This fleet would also be comprised of a mish-mash of geth forces, and as Legion and Gerrel coordinated, they planned to work in unison on reconstructing the destroyed Geth Dreadnought to use as part of the fleet. Gerrel planned to use the Rayya as his flagship, but of course the Neema would remain his home until a permanent residence was made for him and Malra on Rannoch.

The second of the fleets, spearheaded by the Nuustu, was the Security Fleet. This fleet dealt with mainly Rannoch's orbital defense grid, which, once completed, would comprise of multiple geosynchronous platforms that would be fitted with geth and quarian weaponry alike, along with a enlarged, more powerful and ship-mounted version of the Adas Anti-Synthetic Rifle, which would be used against synthetic controlled vessels if the need arises. This fleet would be the smallest, as the majority of the vessels would be taken by the ARF.

Finally, the third fleet, headed by the Bakala, was the Civilian and Merchant Fleet. This fleet was less of a military force, and more of a merchant shipping fleet, dealing with the trade of produce, food and other rare items native to Rannoch. Even though she hated the idea, she knew selling live specimens of bosh'tets would catch any krogan's attention as they were a bigger challenge to kill then pyjaks. Han'Gerrel was the supreme commander of the entire quarian military, so he assumed full command of all three fleets, except the Civilian fleet, which was soley under Shala's command. Gerrel was commander of the Quarian Republican Marine Corps, the newly founded Quarian Reconnissance and Intelligence Division, and even the new Quarian SpecOps, which Tali, to her amusement, heard was called the Quarian Tilgraps.

Finally, they reached the door to the War Room and entered. Thanks to the Alliance's exchange of technology, the Quarians were able to modernize their new strategic command centers. The room was similiar to the Normandy's War Room, but had many noticable differences, but the one that stood out the most was the Quarian architecture used. They descended the steps into the center where the other admirals waited. At the front of the holotable was of course Han'Gerrel and to his right, Malra'Gerrel. To the left of the table was Shala'Raan and Garu'Raan. To the right of the table was Zaal'Koris and Disba'Koris. Finally, next to Garu somewhat, was Xen, but due to the absence of her lifemate, she stood alone. Tali always depised Xen's desire not to find a man to love her. Although it didn't surprise her, anyone who bonded to Xen would have to be extremely insane or obliviously walking into a trap.

Tali and Shepard stopped at the lower end of the table. "Thank you Tali, John, now we may..." Xen interrupted Gerrel before he could continue, "Objection! I human shouldn't be allowed to be involved in such sensitive government matters. What if he is spying for the Alliance? We can't know! We must..." Shepard rolled his eyes. He was sick and tired of Xen's bickering. Gerrel seemed to repeat the gesture himself, looking at Xen, "Technically Shepard is one of us now. Not only has he bonded to one of our own, but he has gotten us back our homeworld, done everything in his power to help us and has treated us as if we were all human. His actions say one thing," he said, turning to Shepard, "He's quarian." Xen expanded her eyes.  _That's absurd!_ "ENOUGH! I will not listen to such blasphemy! If Shepard is going to be involved in this, I refuse to participate." Garu reached out and grabbed Xen's arm before she could walk off. "Daro, think about what you're doing."

Outraged that a lesser man would dare touch an admiral she spat, "GET YOU'RE HANDS OFF ME CAPTAIN! OR I WILL HAVE YOU REMOVED FROM THE GASTANII AND EXILE YOU! How dare you touch an admiral, you should learn your place! Or you maybe I'll cause another accident like the one with Yalu..." Tali felt her face burn up in anger.  _How dare..._ The next scared the living hell out of her. Shala spun around and shouted out, "XEN, SHUT THE FUCK UP! HOW DARE YOU MENTION YALU IN THAT WAY!" And before Shala could control her actions, her hands clasped around Xen's neck and she said loudly, " _VALUAS'CAL XYSOS!"_ Malra covered her mouth piece and Zaal and Disba decided to stay out of the confrontation.

Shala then threw Daro into the holotable and leapt onto her, scratching at her visor. Tali felt helpless. She looked at Garu who was already moving in to restrain Raan. She turned to Shepard giving him a pleading look of  _Do something!_ Getting the message, Shepard ran forward and grabbed Shala, ripping her off Xen. As much as he would have enjoyed helping Shala kill Xen, afterall the stupid bitch deserved it, he needed to stop her. Murdering another admiral would only get Shala exiled or incarcerated. Finally ripping her off, he let Garu finish the rest. Shala maybe family, but she was ultimately Garu's lifemate, and only he could calm her down.

He whispered in Shala's ear, "Shala, stop. Xen's not going to exile me. Think happy thoughts of Yalu, don't let her get to you..." Before he could say anything else, Shala embraced him in a tight hug. She began crying. The thoughts of Yalu only brought sadness. Tali held back tears. Tali had many childhood friends, but she had one circle of friends she had wonderful times with; Kal, Lana and Yalu. All came from very different clans, but all were friends. Yalu and Tali were especially close, due to Shala and Meru being such close relatives. She couldn't say Rael'Zorah got on well with Garu, as they both had differing opinions on the geth. Garu, like Shala, wanted to remain neutral. He didn't want all out war with the geth, he didn't want to reenslave them either, but he couldn't see peace being a beneficial factor either. Just like everyone, he wanted to stand on Rannoch with his lifemate in his arms.

Many fond memories came up during her childhood, one specific one was Meru and Kal's mother, Byali gossiping. She had been young then, but she had recorded their entire conversation, and had learnt what it meant as she grew up.  _They were keeping us close together so that our friendship would develop into Pemla'tiyl. They wanted us to bond. I guess it took them too long to realize Kal was closer to Lana than to me. I was just a little sister to him._ Yalu had been just like her, a brilliant tech and one destined for 'happiness.' She felt like crying.  _I wish Yalu were here. She'd be so happy. She might have seen the homeworld._ Tali couldn't help but laugh inside though. Yalu had always gossiped with her about how dense and slow males were, and she was pretty convinced a dozen of the children were willing to go to war over 'who bonded to her first'. She had heard that two male engineers on the Neema had done the exact same thing over Tali, growing hostile towards each as they tried to prove that she was bonding to the other. They would flirt with her, offer her to take her to the observation deck, share food rations, offer a pal'tec vis surden, but she rejected all of them. It was only until they learned of her bonding ceremony with John that they realized her soul had already found its other half and to their disappointment, it wasn't theirs.

Eventually Shala's crying died off and they all just stood there, deep in though. Daro got up, dusted herself off but was smart enough to stay and not say a word. She knew any more pessimistic mentioning of Yalu would invite Shala to attack again, and if she said it again, Tali would as well. This bosh'tet wasn't going to destroy Yalu's memory. The sound of the door opening interrupted the silence, but noone turned to see who it was.

Instead, the figure just spoke. But it was no adult, just a geth's voice. Legion's voice, "I am sorry to interrupt you're imporant meeting Creators, Shepard-Captain, Admiral Tali'Shepard, but..." Tali and John turned at their names and their mouths gaped open in shock. There, standing next to Legion, was a child. But this was no normal child, this was...

"Rael? But, you're only, how? Wha...?" Rael stood like he was 4 years already. "Mummy? Daddy?" Rael ran forward and Tali instinctively dropped down and picked Rael up, holding him in her arms. Shepard turned to the Admirals. "We shall be back in a minute." The situation was awkward for many reasons. Shala just giggled, as Gerrel chuckled. Malra and Disba shook their heads amusingly, but Daro looked outraged. "What is that thing? That thing was produced from that bosh'tet's womb? That thing is a abomination upon the quarian people! Kill it! Burn it!" Shepard was outraged.

He snapped around and punched Xen in the visor, and she dropped to the floor. Rael began shouting, "MUM! WHY DID DAD HIT HER!" Tali held Rael's head in her arms and quickly ran outside. The last thing he needed was this. Xen's mask cracked and all laughter died down. Shepard shouted down at her. "You call my child that again Xen, and you'll wish you'd never met me! You attempt to kill him, Rael, and I will find you, and kill you. And trust me, you don't want to end up like Dav. DO. YOU. UNDERSTAND. ME!" He said, his voice full of venom. Oh yes could he just kill Xen right now. But he held his ground. He would only attack of Rael or Tali's lives were in danger.

"I will never agree to having..." Shepard was about to lunge out when Gerrel said loudly, "Xen, you're put on suspension until further notice. Get the hell off my ship before I have the Moreh crew exile you." Xen looked at him as she got up, "The Moreh is my..." Gerrel shouted back, "The Moreh is now a Cruiser in the ARF, a fleet  **I**  command. Then you either get the hell of my ship or I'll have you stripped of you're realk and have you working in waste disposal. NOW GET OUT!" Xen angrily ran out, pushing past Tali as she went. Shepard felt amused, he could just imagine Xen running around in the orange realk of Waste Disposal, the lowest of the low.

Tali was baffled that Rael was already four years old, but would inquire into the predicament at a later time. Right now, they had the fate of the quarian government to decide.

 **Bosh'tet:** Thought by many non-quarians to be the quarian equivalent of "son of a bitch" or "bastard." Surprisingly, it is actually the name of a animal native to Rannoch, similiar to Earth rats. It is a rodent to lives my scavenging, but has a very low intelligence, is quite irritating and lazy. It eats the excrement of other animals, using what's let of it as a home and the undigested bits as sustenance. It will eat any dung, even its own. It will defend its dung pile at any cost, even its own kind, and has been known to fight to the death. Quarians used it as a curse word for people who are being stupid, unresponsive, irritating or fighting for a worthless cause or reason.

 **Saera:** Term used when speaking to ones lifemate. Literal translation: My souls soul. Other meanings include, but are not limited to: Keeper of my soul and My souls protector. Most commonly used word throughout the fleet by a quarian when speaking privately to their lifemate. Though unconfirmed by any quarian, there are implications that this word holds extreme intimacy as well as absolute trust. No single human word or phrase encompassed all that this one short word implies as it appears to contain both dominance and submissive traits.

 **Pal'tec vis Surden:** Medallion presented during the Ceremony of Bonding. Literal translation: Symbol of Souls United. Quarians followed a different path, where humans would place a ring upon their bride, a quarian male would present a medallion depicting the future life of the newly bonded pair. Worn on a chain around the neck before the war, they now are carried by every bonded female in a special pocket within their enviro-suits, just above their heart. Usually made from precious metals, the quarians in the fleet now use scrap metals to conserve resources.

 **Valuas'cal Xysos:** Term used during war when one declared an execution. Literal Translation: Vermin, you will be exterminated. It was used by old quarian clan elders and leaders during the Rannochian Civil Wars, also known as the 'Great Reaffirmation' when another clan was destroyed and any survivors were brought to face the elder of the victorious clan. The leader would call out this term when he decided to execute the survivors. The term was later dropped as it was later used as a disgusting curse word that many quarians found insulting, and eventually the word was never used again. Tali's used of the word was unexpected, as its meaning can only be found in the Scrolls of the Ancestors.

**For you people left confused, I shall explain a few things. If you haven't read To Survive: Alliances and don't know who Tross'Larik and Allia are, they are basically "mythical" quarian 'heroes' who were mythically responsible for ending the Great Reaffirmation and uniting the clans to begin the Unification Era. Tross and Allia were just mythical lifemates who fought for peace and died in doing so. Shepard and Tali are basically viewed as the 'modernized' Tross and Allia.**

**How cool is it to imagine the quarians and geth working together? With their military might, they'll turn from beggars and thieves to the most powerful race in the galaxy. Don't fuck with the quarians. ALL HAIL THE REPUBLIC. Ah, I long dreamt of this day ever since I recruited Legion in ME2.**

**And you're wondering why Rael is maturing and aging so fast? All will be revealed next chapter, which I think is the most funky chapter yet. No violence, just...well... PARTY.**

**Dav's gory intestines anyone? XD**

"Let it be known that with this naming, and by ancient quarian laws, that before you now stand one body, one voice, one soul. Walk as one in life. Keelah se'lai"

\- Han'Gerrel


	23. LET'S PARTY!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cerberus reaches out to their contact on the Admiralty Board. The Normandy crew properly celebrate their victory over the Reapers and the Blue Suns.

_**LET'S PARTY!** _

" , could we have a word with you?" Tali asked as she pulled Shepard inside. This conversation was going to be very awkward, and she wanted him at her side in case she said something wrong or worded something inapprioately. Shepard decided to lay back and let Tali do the talking. In his opinion, she was the better parent in this. Chakwas nodded, smiling, and Tali stepped forward.

"Yes Tali? What can I do for you?" Chakwas asked, placing her datapad on a nearby terminal. She had been clearly checking on Joker's legs, as he was laying on the bed two meters from their left. He seemed to be cradling it, either testing it or he'd broken it. "Yes, it's about Rael. He's...aging extremely fast...like too fast." Tali stated. Chakwas nodded, her hand posed under her chin in a sign of pensive thought. "All quarian children do, he's simply..." Chakwas began but Shepard butted in.

"Not mentally, physically. Dr. Chakwas, he's four years old already. And talking. Now, that can't possibly be nature for quarians can it? Fast aging? If so, wouldn't Tali be 40 right now?" Tali immediately winced at the number and turned to Shepard, "Thanks for the vote of confidence, John. My life feels alot shorter now." Shepar looked back at her, "No matter what age you are Tali, I'll love you the same. That's never going to change. As long as you're around me, feel free to feel as young as you want." Tali nodded, smiling. Tali was only 26, but the thoughts of being 40 years old already really frightened her. Shepard's words calmed her.

Chakwas eyes seem to widen but only for a second as she solemnly nodded. "Hmmm, I think I might know the problem." Tali and Shepard glanced at each other and then moved closer. Chakwas had to make sure her theory was correct, but there was no other possible explanation. "I think it might have to do with the fact that he's a...well...Quman." Tali raised an eyebrow and Shepard crossed his arms. Chakwas continued, "You two know full well that Rael is the first Human-Quarian hybrid alive, the first hybrid baby period, so a birth like this is unnatural and the body isn't designed for it.

Basically, in result, the body is forced to utilize the DNA in enigmatic and random ways. A mish-mash of DNA coding. However, the body can't create enough cells to keep the baby alive, therefore resulting in a...relatively short lifespan. Rael is dying as we speak. Within a year, he'll be 80 years old." Tali was the verge of crying and Shepard was just holding her, looking solemnly at the ground, holding her.

"But not all hope for Rael is lost." Shepard immediately looked up and Tali forgot her sadness, if only for a minute. "It won't take long, but I think I can produce a meds for Rael that will slow down his age rate to its normal status. He'll have to take the meds weekly, as they last only that long, but he'd grow up like any normal child. However, he'll have to take them for the rest of his life."

"As long as he can live the life he deserves, that's fine by us doc. Thank you." Shepard said, nodding, while smiling big too. Tali was also smiling and half laughing. "I shall go and begin production of those drugs. I will tell you when the first set is ready. But I won't be around forever so Tali, I'm going to have to teach you how to make them. I'll see you tommorrow. Today their holding a party, so I suggest you don't be late." Chakwas said, smiling.

"Thanks again doc. Thank you so much." Shepard said as he took Tali's hand and left the medbay. Chakwas watched as they went before turning back to Joker. He spoke first, "Baby problems huh? At least I won't have that problem with EDI." He said, turning to look back at the wall. Chakwas rolled her eyes, "No, you shall never be blessed with a child of your own. Tali's lucky to have even had a child. It's supposed to be impossible."

"True, but still...children can be very annoying." Joker stated clearly. Chakwas laughed, "Well, I guess you must be younger than you look." Joke gave her a glare, "Very funny..."

They both laughed and then returned to their tasks.

...

"Crew of QRV Rayya, this is Admiral Han'Gerrel speaking. We have just entered orbit over Rannoch. Shuttles will be supplied for transport down to Unastali. Please enjoy your stay at the home of the Ancestors, thank you." Garrus had immediately looked at the source of the announcement and smiled. He wasn't looking forward to going back to Palaven, it meant he'd have to play politician again, and he just wanted to stay with his friends, his family. This group of friends he had grown a bond with, a bond that was unparrelled to the other friendships he had in the past. This was the one that felt truly like family. This party was it, where they would go their seperate ways. He hated goodbyes, he always had. The only other time he'd ever said goodbye, was when he thought Shepard was killed by Harbinger. He wasn't planning on a second goodbye.

Of course, he would still help Shepard and Tali build their home. He had made a promise, and he didn't break promises, especially with family. He looked around the room at its other occupants, taking in their faces for what could be the last time. He saw Miranda and Jacob quietly talking with what looked like Kasumi checking Jacob out. Grunt and Wrex were talking about how many Blue Suns they killed. Legion was talking with Kal and Lana about something, all three were speaking in khelish so he didn't know. Samara and Jack appeared to be meditating in the foreground while Javik solemnly observed them, he appeared to be impressed. Ken and Gabby were having some quiet time together. Chief appeared to be omnipresent, as he was at one place one time, and then at another. He just sat in the background silently cleaning his rifle, Liara sitting next to him. Their feelings for each other were awkward at best, but both were hoping it would improve. He had no idea where Zaeed was, probably having target practise or using Vido's blood as a drink.

The latter made him sick. He swept the thought away as he returned to cleaning the rifle. He noticed Liara was being a little distant and was moving to talk to her when the door opened. Looking up, he smiled as Shepard walked in. Surprisingly, not followed by Tali. As the door closed, Shepard's eyes met Garrus', and he approached him. They embraced in a brotherly hug, pulling back and then banging fists together. "So, Shepard finally decided to leave Tali alone?" Liara said, smiling. She was obviously teasing. Shepard smiled, "She wanted to help in engineering and I'm obviously rusty when it comes to that stuff, so I let her be." Garrus grinned, "Flashy way of saying you got bored of kissing and hugging."

Shepard lightly pushed him back, "Keep talking Garrus, I don't see you and Liara exactly hugging." Garrus and Liara quickly glanced at each other and then back at Shepard. Before either could say anything, Shepard spoke, "And you say Tali isn't very good at hiding things. I've seen what you two are like around each other, and I'm happy for both of you." Garrus smiled as did Liara, and for the first time since they admitted their love for each other, took each other's hand. Chuckling, Garrus said, "Ironic isn't it? I mean, having a suit and all, yet she is so easy to read."

They all chuckled and the room fell silent. Turning, he saw everyone's eyes turn to the door. Looking there himself, Shepard gave an irritated sigh. In the doorway, was Daro'Xen, her arms crossed, her look unreadable, but her body told a different story. It radiated the exact feelings Shepard felt now: inconvienence. "Who the hell that these imbeciles in here? I didn't realize our liveships made way for..." she turned to look at Shepard, "hagrr'hizs." Shepard clenched his fists in anger, but he kept it under chain, he wasn't about to assault a quarian admiral.

"Hey, quarian, why don't you back the fuck off. Stop walking around like someone with a ego and find something better to do. Like getting laid for one." Jack said loud and clearly so everyone could hear. Not that everyone agreed with the way she worded her response, but they agreed all the same. Xen rolled her eyes, "What is with you humans and sex? Love is just an enemy that needs to be crushed. I'm surprised Tali even made it as Admiral, her love for you was driving me insane." The insult was directed at Shepard, so as to fuel his anger. Instead, he did something completely different. "I'm surprised you're STILL and admiral. She's driving you insane? I was aware you were insane the moment you were born. Go be a bitch somewhere else Xen."

"This is a quarian ship, and I am a quarian admiral, I can go where I want." Xen was feeling pretty confident she could make Shepard crack. It was those uncivlized krogan she was worried about. It was Chief's time to talk, "You remind me of this alien...I think his name was...ah yes, Tartarus, Chieftain of the Jiralhanae as I recall, yeah. He had an ego too. Plus he was a leader. He'd mate with you, sure." Chief said. Jack broke out laughing, "I'm starting to like this guy!" Wrex and Grunt nodded in agreement. Xen's anger was peaking, but she kept it under control, "I believe you're universe is needing you. We don't, so you'd better leave."

Chief retorted, "Who said this galaxy needed you? I'm pretty sure you're just another dumb husk that needs to be removed. Which, when the galaxy needs it, I'll be happy to do." Xen smiled. "Threatening an admiral will get you nowhere. Plus, you call me a husk that needs to be removed, when we have a human-quarian abomination running around the decks as we speak!"  _Oh yes, Shepard shall crack!_ But he didn't, he didn't lunge out. Shepard just smiled, "Ah Xen, the same joker you always were. You need some rest, go take a nap." He dismissevly. Chief nodded, "And it was a threat, it was a promise. Now excuse me, your big hulk is covering the doorway. If you could use that ego to move aside, I'd hate to see it stuck to my boots." Xen moved aside, preferring to live.

Chief left the room, but not quickly. Once he was gone, Xen turned to Wrex and raised a brow, "I see standards for true warriors has been lowered lately." She looked at Grunt quickly and dismissed him with a coy nod. Wrex chuckled, imitating Xen's look at Grunt. Grunt noticed this and reciprocated his chuckle. "You can talk. You got your asses kicked by the geth. Plus, we fought our enemies ourselves, we didn't hide behind the geth hoping they'd do the fighting for us." Kal and Lana looked at Grunt and Wrex with negative looks before Kal said, "That's not fair!" Wrex chuckled, "No offense."

"You krogan all think you are so powerful and righteous. We were kicked from our homeworld while you nuked yours to oblivion!" Xen said, her anger peaked. Then everyone just went silent as Legion spoke, "Creator Admiral, you have spoken enough. Your attempts at sparking vehemence in this social group has failed and has only incited amusement. Now leave before I throw you out the airlock." Everyone, including Xen, turned to Legion with looks of shock. Did a geth just threaten a creator?

"Legion, you badass!" James said as he slapped his knee in a 'goddamn' way. Legion nodded, feeling proud of himself. Yes, he was becoming more and more sentient by the minute. Xen was too shocked for words. She opened her mouth multiple times to speak, but closed it each and every time.  _Did a geth just threaten its master! Unacceptable!_ "How dare you threaten your master! I will have you deactivated!"

"No you won't Xen, now get the hell out of here and back to the Moreh. Stop hoarding around." Turning, they see Han'Gerrel and two geth bodyguards enter. Xen solemnly nodded before leaving. Giving her a look of hatred, Gerrel turned back to the others. "Shuttle is ready. If you'll follow me, we'll take you all to the surface." Just as everyone began leaving, Tali managed to squeeze through and join Shepard. Taking her hand he asked, "Where's Rael?"

"Rael's sleeping in the medbay. Dr. Chakwas will look after him for now. Right now is a time for relaxation. And I plan to have alot of it. I can't believe it John, its finally over. No more pursuing rogue spectres, going on suicidal missions and saving the galaxy from sentient dreadnoughts. It's finally over." Shepard nodded and tapped his forehead with her visor as they approached the hangar bay. "Yes Tali, now we can finally rest. You sure you're okay?" Tali looked at him, nothing but pure concern in his eyes. "I'm fine John. Chakwas said I'll get varying degrees of head pains for the rest of my life, but its nothing serious. Nothing stands between us. Indoctrination, Reapers, Mercs, nothing." With that, they just held hands as they finally entered the hangar.

As they approached the shuttle, he turned to Legion. "Legion, did you mean what you said to Xen?" Legion stopped and pondered his question. Turning, he said, "Please be specific Shepard-Captain." Shepard nodded, "Well, you sounded quite serious when you said you would throw her out the airlock."

"In that case, yes, I meant every word. We geth are only beginning to grasp the concept of friendship. I however have been among you for a considerable time Shepard-Captain and I think I understand. You are my friends, my crew. I will protect you whenever I can. And I won't let anyone, even a Creator, bully you into submission." Shepard was flabbergasted. Legion and the geth were truly evolving. "I'm proud of you Legion. You and your people have come so far since we created you." Tali stated, happy for Legion. He was finally grasping sentience.

"Thank you Creator Tali'Shepard, but we can discuss this later. Right now, the shuttle crew is waiting to...what do you organics call it?" Before anyone could answer, James shouted  
"LET'S PARTY!" Legion looked at him and nodded. "That." They all boarded the shuttle as it closed its doors and shot off the Rayya's hangar bay floor. Once clear, it began its descent into Rannoch's atmosphere.

...

"Morph, you've certainly taken your time in responding to your recall. What took you?" Hawk stated in distaste, taking a sip of his drink. He really didn't trust quarians, especially this one. Xen scowled at him before responding, "I was...talking with Shepard and his horde of degenerative crew. I've been trying to gain information on how that...thing Admiral Zorah gave birth to is even alive."

"Well, your time is up. As I said, I've motioned for your recall. Romulus Regiment Delta will finish them. Miss Zorah's usefulness has ceased. Return immediately." Xen had been working secretly for Cerberus for quite awhile now. Although she didn't like the pro-human organization, especially after their raid on the Idenna over some autistic human biotic child, she did respect how their goals were similiar: researching the geth. That was the only reason she was working for them. But Hawk's use of her nickname 'Morph' was growing weary. She may not know his real name, but she damn well would be referred to by hers.

"I need to stay here otherwise my absence will cause suspicion. Besides, I'm much more useful here gathering intel and coordinating the ground teams here and you know it." Hawk sighed. He hated to think it, but Morph was right. Besides, any information she could give on Unastali's defenses and Shepard and Tali's location would greatly benefit Delta Regiment anyway. "Very well, Morph. But if I find out your a double agent, I won't hesitate in having you terminated. Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir. Morph out." Xen deactivated her omnitool and cursed under her breath. She was an admiral, and taking orders from a Cerberus commander! Her people's sworn and most hated enemy! Well, now that the geth were allied with them. She turned towards the bridge to make sure noone could see her and quickly began her latest report. Once she had finished it, she quickly read it over.

_From: Admiral Daro'Xen vas Rannoch "Morph", Current Leader of Admiralty Board._

_To: Cerberus' Information and Intelligence Division, Cronos Station._

_Subject: City Schematics_

_City is split into many areas, but is best to launch a EMP on the main area as to disable the city's stronghold defenses. There is quite alot of geth patrols walking around, so it would be wise to bring anti-synthetic weapons such as the Arc Projector, Arc Pistol, Adas Anti-Synthetic Rifle, etc. The city's central point is the location of the city's celebration over the Reaper War's resolution. From what I can tell, Shepard and Tali, along with his crew, will be there. For the best chance of success, attacking using espionage would be the best tactic to utilize in taking them out._

_Internally, the city is pretty lightly defended. A few Quarian protectors and sentinels, and a Geth Trooper and Prime here and there. Nothing a large regiment can't neatralize with ease. A viable escape plan would be to simply have the Lithios on standby ready to pick them up. Attacking using the city's sewage system is also a wise strategy. If need be, the Moreh can be used to evacuate your troops immediately._

_Good luck, and make sure Shepard and Tali pay with their lives._

_From: Daro'Xen vas Rannoch "Morph", Current Leader of Admiralty Board._

Satisified her report was up to scratch, she sent it and reentered the bridge of the Moreh.  _I will be the one to have last laugh Shepard, and this time, you won't be alive to see it._

...

"Come on you two! Get up and enjoy the music!" Garrus shouted as he stepped off the dance floor and approached Tali and Shepard, who were sitting, holding each other as they watched the rest of the crew participate. Tali laughed, "I'll only dance for Shepard Garrus. If he's not, I'm not." she stated. Garrus was disappointed. Shepard had told him rumors of how much of a excellent dancer she was. Had to be since quarian females were apparently "very erotic dancers".

"I'm with Tali on this one. I'll stick to enjoying the food and drinks. Maybe later." Garrus sighed in disappointment. "It's your loss Shepard, just don't get her drunk, you know what happened last time she did that" he said, running to join the dance floor again. Shepard chuckled as Tali crossed her arms, "Not fair! I was depressed!" Shepard just continued to laugh and then turned Tali around so she faced the bar. "Anything you've got a fetish for my love?" Shepard asked her. Tali pondered the question slowly and teasingly.

"One Dextro-Amino Milkshake, I love those things." Shepard nodded and then turned. "I'll have..." Garrus' voice filled his head again as he approached, "One Human wine." Turning he saw Garrus sit down next to him and place two bottles on the counter. One was a bottle of human red wine while the second was turian brandy. Tali's curiousity peaked, "Forget the milkshake. I'm having some brandy."

Garrus almost spilt his cup as he poured it. Garrus and Shepard looked at Tali with petrified looks. "No, Tali. The last time you had this you were insulting Miranda and I remember you calling her a...bitch?" Garrus chuckled, "Yes, and you threw a glass at me for mentioning that time when I called you fat and you attacked me and Shepard with my food!" Tali laughed with them. Shepard joined in, "The last time I got you drunk, you were asking me what you're private parts meant in khelish!" Garrus and Tali stopped laughing and looked at Shepard. Garrus had a grin on his face, Tali was blushing, heavily with embarassment.

"Do tell Shepard..." Garrus requested in a mocking tone. Shepard laughed as he took a sip of his wine. "Well, once upon a time, in a Illium apartment building, their were two lifemates..." Tali stopped him mid sentence, "We weren't even bonded then! And that's enough recollection Shepard, or you'll never see those 'private parts' again." Garrus chuckled but stopped as he saw his turian brandy missing. Knowing the culprit, he said, "Tali..."

She giggled as she took a sip of the brandy. "I won't get drunk, I promise." She took another sip of the drink. They all laughed as they all, in sync, took a sip of their drinks and slammed them down in unison. Garrus began laughing, "Hey Shepard. Remember that time on the original Normandy? When we were chasing down Saren? Remember when the Mako flipped and Tali fell onto you? I think when her visor touched your face, she had intentionally done it."

Tali wasn't amused, "It was an accident and you know it! Although, I guess I did kind've...well...you know." She just went silent hoping they'd forget the current subject. Those days she had spent in the Mako, sitting in the engineering seat next to Shepard were some very memorable times. The times when her feelings for Shepard surfaced. "Good times" they seemed to say in unison. After what seemed like a minute, Shepard remembered that he had a very dedicated speech to attend too.

Standing up, he spoke loud and clearly, "Turn off the music please for a moment! I'd like to make a speech!" Everyone immediately shut up and turned to him, all souls in the room quietly awaiting his words of loss. He cleared his throat and began, "The war is over. We've all been through suffering, pain and loss. Each of us has lost a family member, not one of us was left untouched by this war. But in the end, we proved the Reapers weren't invincible!

"Not only that, but we fought as a united galaxy, we fought as a family! This victory belongs to not me, my lifemate, or even my crew. It belongs to all of us. Keelah Se'lai." He waited for the chorus of his reciprocated words before continuing, "And now I mourn members of my crew who sacrificed their lives so we could be standing here today! Mordin Solus, a magnificient and brilliant salarian scientist was among the dead.

"He was of course, a genophage appeaser at first. At every turn, he'd defend the action, saying inflicting the krogan with such a horrific weapon was nessacary to galactic peace. I didn't hate him, though. No, he became a great friend, one of the greatest I could ever ask for. I ask you, where you when he was attempting to cure the quarian immune system? Where were you when he cured a collector plague on Omega? Where were you when he tried to cure Kepral's Syndrome? And where were you when he cured the genophage! That's right, a man who finally saw through his logic and realized the krogan had endured long enough! That they deserved a cure! And he made it, delivered it, and died dispersing it. He sacrificed his life to make sure the krogan were cured, and for that, the krogan owe him their very existence. That his one salarian, this enemy they'd hate for so long, could be their salvation."

"Thane Krios was a simple drell assassin looking for exoneration. Looking for peace. Only wanting to join his wife in death and give his son the life he deserved. He fought with a purpose, and he's possibly one of the most skilled combatants I've ever met. Thane was a hero, and boy, he died a hero too! When Cerberus assaulted the Citadel, he was there! Swearing to protect a human spectre from those pro-human assholes! He was there holding them off and he died defending a salarian councilor. Not only did he die so that many could live, but his death ensured salarian support in retaking Earth. He's a goddamn hero, and he deserves proper respect."

"And Anderson. A man who was not only my captain, my mentor, but my friend. He was one hell of a soldier. You can give a man a dozen medals and call him a hero, but its your actions that define you. And Anderson was a excellent leader, soldier and one of the best specops operatives I've ever known. He was there on Earth, enduring the hell and horrors the Reapers unleashed upon the Earth, while I was out there, fighting among my crew to unite the galaxy to fight a common foe. He died at the Illusive Man's hands, but his ability to fight on even after death endures. For it wasn't just my lifemate," he gestured to Tali, "that gave me the strength to fight on, but my friends too. And one of those friends was Anderson. These men will be missed, honored and remembered as heroes as long as history remembers them. And I intend to make sure their memory is burned into the history books for as long as this galaxy exists."

Finishing his speech, he moved sit back down next to Tali. She was tearing up, his speech made her miss Mordin's constant speed chatting and Thane's words of advice in combat. She didn't know Anderson as well as Shepard did, but she could tell they had been very close friends. She held his arm tightly and hugged him, "That was wonderful John." Her words were followed by a round of applause from the crowd. After they had finished he stood up, drink out. "To heroes! To Mordin! To Thane! To Anderson! And to all those others who died during the fight to preserve galactic life! KEELAH SE'LAI!"

This time, everyone echoed his words as they all gulped their drinks. The music continued and everyone returned to their previous engagments. Shepard felt a strong urge to join in with the celebration. He felt a great deal of stress being lifted from his shoulders. Turning he offered a hand to Tali who looked at it for one second before looking into his eyes. "So, Mrs. Vas Normandy...may I have this dance?" Garrus just grinned. Tali smiled. Dropping the glass on the counter she took his hand and let him help her up. They held hands until they reached the dance floor and turning to each other, they began to dance.

Shepard had slightly improved, thanks to Tali. But his dancing looked like a joke to Tali's swift movements. He admired how her body flowed with the pulse and rythm of the music, like her body was controlled by the beat itself, her arms held up highand her beautifully slim body moving in sync with the music. This was their dance, they shared it together.

He smiled, he knew what he wanted to do. "HEY JACK!" Jack heard this and ran over to them, motioning for Rodrigez to not move. Joining them she asked, "What?" Tali hadn't stopped dancing, she kept moving with the beat, her body completely controlled by the music. Shepard smiled and motioned to the sound system and then made a invisible 'G' in the air. Nodding in understanding, Jack opened her omnitool, hacking into the sound system.

The music stopped and everyone was surprised and they stopped dancing. Even Tali had stopped. "John, what are you doing!" Turning he said, "Wait for it." Jack pressed the button and a rapid beat began followed by "OPPA GANGNAM STYLE!" Almost immediately, the south korean tune was followed by every human in the room performing the ridiculously catchy dance. Even Shepard could do this. "Tali, follow me, step by step." He began the dance, but Tali seemed to have trouble doing it.

Stopping her, he took her hands, he walked her through it, "No no no no, right arm over left...that's it. You've got it!" Within no time, the entire crew, save Joker, to his disappointment, was performing Gangnam style. It was a wonderous sight in deed. When the final beat had sounded, everyone stopped and returned to prior settings. Tali turned to Shepard, "And that was human song! That was amazing! We should teach Rael how to do that."

Laughing, they were interrupted by Shala calling out to them. They frowned at each other and followed Shala outside. She didn't stop though, she continued into the city center where a giant statue, covered by a giant cloth was. Shepard eyed the statue with awe. Finally, they stopped in front of the statue and Tali and Shepard just looked at it in awe.

Growing extremely curious he turned to Shala and asked, "What is it?" Smiling, Shala motioned for the geth units around it to pull the cloth down. "A memorial...to heroes." The cloth fell away and Shepard's eyes fell on the plague imbedded in the stone. "To Heroes Not Yet Fallen. We salute them..." The last words made Shepard freeze to the spot and as he looked up, his suspicions were confirmed. "Shala!" he shouted. Tali had waited for Shepard's reaction before giving her own, "Auntie Raan!"

"...Lifemates John'Shepard and Tali'Shepard. Heroes of Rannoch. Keelah Se'lai."

The statue was of Shepard and Tali.

 **Hagrr'hizs:** Term used to refer to the intellectually challenged. Literal translation: Forever Children. Mentally retarded or damaged people of the quarian race. Though infrequent, more of these special needs children have been born lately.

**I did say party didn't I? Yes, that means gangnam style. I just couldn't resist. The image of Shepard and Tali dancing to gangnam style has been stuck in my head for ages. And when I said whole crew, even Chief danced. Alittle bit out of character but who cares, lol! XD**

**Sorry this chapter took so long. But I was busy looking at Halo 4 Live gameplay from Machinima so I didn't have time to do it last night. I'll make it up to you guys on 5 and 6 November, as I have a day off school. 6 is no guarantee as I'll be picking up my copy of Halo 4 then and playing it, but we'll see. If you're Halo fan, thumbs up if you got preordered limited edition like I did. FREE DLC FTW!**

**Also, I'd like to state one clear fact. Any one who compares this to twilight again, and I will SLIT YOUR THROAT AS YOU SLEEP AND MAKE YOU EAT A PICTURE OF ONE DIRECTION. I hate twilight, that overdramatsized crap makes me feel sick and want to gag. The storyline is also extremely generic and cliche. If you're a twilight fan, then I apologize, but I stand true to my opinion. I will never, EVER watch twilight.**

**Now that that is clear, I hope you look forward to Chapter 23!**

**Now try and find out what I'm referencing to in this:**

**"If you sneezed as you read this bless you. Peace off!"**

**Comment in the review section whether or not you know which guy said that.**

"I am pure krogan; You should be in awe."

\- Grunt.


	24. Republican Defense

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cerberus attacks Rannoch. Shepard and Tali spend time together.

_**Republican Defense** _

"What Shala did was completely unnesscary! Not only is the city now named 'Tali's Courage' but now they have a statue of you and me standing in the city center!" Tali said as they entered her apartment. Shepard stopped for a moment to look at the plaque he bought her. "You kept it." Tali was confused by his change of subject upon realizing that he was looking at the door she smiled, "Of course I did, it brought memories of you and I. I kept everything else you gave me, that picture, everything. Oh, and I was meaning to return something to you."

His curiosity peaked, Shepard followed Tali into her apartment to find out what this 'present' was. They finally came upon her bedroom. He recognized the priestess of compassion statue on her desk and the migrant fleet picture above the bed. She crouched and reached into one of the desk drawers, pulling out a picture of herself, the exact sameone she had given him on the Normandy. She turned and gave it back to him. "Now you may gaze upon my face whenever you want." Shepard smiled and then reached up, releasing the clamps on her visor and taking it off. The hiss of air release could be heard before it relaxed.

He smiled as he looked upon her face, caressing her cheek with one hand, "Why have that when I can have the real deal. Besides, I already have so many beautiful memories of you on my omnitool. What else could a man ask for?" Tali smiled and reached in closer, her hands on his chest, "Maybe this..." she then reached in and locked her lips with his. They stood in this affectionate kiss for what seemed like minutes on end, but eventually they broke off for breath.

But Shepard was only getting started, He then grabbed under Tali's legs and picked her up off the ground, wrapping her legs around his waist. He then dropped her on her bed, before moving ontop of her and once again, they locked in a kiss. Once they broke, Tali began removing her helmet. Once it clattered on her desk, John began to help remove the rest of her suit. It took not as long as it would, as they were quite used to taking off the suit, and soon they were both naked, in her bed, making love.

The joining lasted quite a while and by the time they were finished, they just lay in her bed. While Tali had the bed covers right up to her breasts so as to absorb the bead of sweat that had formed on her skin, Shepard had just layed there, with the sheets up to his hips. Tali was snuggled in close to him, her head resting on his chest, listening to his heartbeats. Thanks to her adaptation, she never got sick while around Shepard anymore. For moments afterwards, not a single word was exchanged in the blissful moment, nothing but the occassional and passionate kiss was exchanged.

Finally, they both slowly fell to sleep, warmed by their lifemate's embrace.

It felt like only 2 minutes before they were woken up by Tali's timer. Shepard shut it off, not wanting to get up, not wanting to break Tali's embrace. Tali woke up and looked at him with a smile, "I really do look forward to the time we get when we don't have to worry about getting up on a deadline" she said, stretching her arms until they popped and relaxed. Shepard reciprocated her smile, "Same here. But I guess that day will come." Shepard suddenly lost his smile as he remembered the one question he needed answered. He really didn't want to ask it, as it would ruin the bliss that they were having, but it was a question that had been bugging him for nearly a week.

Turning to Tali, he said seriously, "Tali, were there moments like this with Dav?" Tali lost her smile and returned John's look of seriousness. "Yes, moments that I now look upon with hatred. In my abomination form, I greatly enjoyed those...joinings, but now I remembered how much I hated them...deep inside. I feel ashamed John, I let him violate me, use my body for his own pleasures...I betrayed you..." Tali began to weep and Shepard cursed to himself.  _I should never have brought this up._ He moved in close and used his hands to gently push Tali's head into his shoulder in a loving hug,"Hush. It's okay, that bastard is dead. He can't hurt you anymore. You never betrayed me Tali, you were indoctrinated, you had no control over what you did. If anyone's to blame, it's Vido, and he's dead too. Stop blaming yourself. You can never betray me, were are lifemates, one in life, your soul is my soul, you cannot betray what is yours."

Shepard's words seem to calm Tali, but she just needed to let all these emotions out. They had been bottled up for so long, she just needed release. She continued to weep for quite sometime before finally stopping. Shepard kissed her on the scalp, causing her to look up, "John, do you forgive me?" Shepard looked intently into her eyes, softly caressing her long, slim hair. He finally answered, "There is nothing to forgive. You did no wrong. The Ancestors know this, and so should you. I love you Tali'Shepard, no matter what transgression you commit."

She locked in a gentle kiss with his lips for 5 seconds before pulling off and saying, "I love you too, John. Forever and always. As long as a draw breath, we are mates in life." They continued to cuddle each other for a few more minutes before breaking and getting out of bed and getting dressed. After helping each other dress, they moved into the family area. "Shepard, you sit here." Shepard frowned as he sat, "Aren't we going to have breakfast?" Tali just smiled as she left the room, heading towards the kitchen.

Shepard just sighed and lay back in the chair. He took the time to look around and examine Tali's apartment. It obviously didn't differ much from the quarian designs he saw in Omxa il maaw that he had visited with the Admirals, Kal, Lana and Tali all those months ago. It seemed years ago now. The apartment first off followed basic quarian architecture. What he would call a living room, was what a quarian would call a 'Family gather', where family would gather for meetings or to just have a social conversation.

Tali's room was meant to have been the lifemate's bedroom, but since she thought he was, dead...that wasn't nessacary, and Tali had the pairing bed all to herself. Quarians, unlike humans, mostly preferred to stand up, and their 'misting cabinents' (which I think is Tali just playing hard to get, and is actually a shower) and toilets were designed exactly for that. He smiled as he remembered his exact words to Tali on Rannoch all those months ago.  _Tali, one day you are going to explain how that thing is used._ He really did find the quarian toilets odd, and Tali had said the same about human toilets.

Further thought was wiped away as he heard the sizzling of food and the everbeautiful smell of his favourite food. It was the second most loved thing he had, Tali being the first.  _Bacon._ Tali had told him to stay but he was so curious he just had to look. He was in a quarian home, and he was smelling bacon. He just had to have a look. As he walked into the kitchen, he saw a sight he thought he'd never see. Tali, standing before a quarian looking stove, cooking his favourite meal. Bacon and eggs.

Shepard frowned as he just stood in the doorway, watching Tali cook. He had never really seen Tali as a cook, apart from the time she tried to cook herself a dextro-amino steak and ended up in the hospital for two days, but it was quite a sight. It was obvious she was going out of her way to cook him breakfast, and he wasn't about to tell her to stop out of fear of food poisoning, but he was worried. Seeing that Tali still hadn't noticed him, he moved in closer until he eventually stood behind her and he quickly wrapped his arms around her. She smiled, saying "I told you to wait." Shepard lightly chuckled, "How could I resist the smell of sizzling bacon? You know its my favourite Tali. Besides, how did you get bacon on Rannoch? Last time I checked, pigs didn't live on Rannoch."

Tali giggled, "I have no idea what a pig is but no, we don't. I may have nabbed these from Gardner's supplies before I left. Not sure why though." She simply shrugged and continued cooking. Shepard could tell from the delicious smell that Tali wasn't going to fuck this up.  _Maybe she got lessons from Gardner. Oh wait, he's not exactly the best cook around. Maybe he got lessons from Shala? Yeah, that's the most plausible option._ He just continued to 'motivate' Tali in her cooking as he let the smell of bacon fill his nostrils. Then he had a sudden epiphany and decided Tali must be hungry too.

_Time to return the favor._

...

"Now I'm sure you all know our mission" Regiment Commander Etrius Valmous stated. He looked down on the entirety of Romulus Regiment Delta, smiling as he did. Whole squads of assault troopers, centurions, guardians, nemesis', phantoms, you name it. It was there. Etrius stood upon his podium in his full heavy body armor, provided by Hawk himself.

Every soldier in the hangar bay of the Lithios nodded. He scanned the regiment once again before beginning to pace as he spoke, "Take no prisoners. I don't care who the fuck they are, I don't care if you see friggin Abraham Lincoln, you gun down every sorry quarian SOB in that city. Kill Shepard, kill Captain Zorah, kill every...last...one...of...them." Everyone shouted in voices of predetermined triumph. He liked that. Long had he commanded this regiment with pride and honor, and his men never let him down.

"The Alliance won't be able to respond in time and we have the quarian lord of admirals on our side. Once we are done with the city and its populace we'll board the Lithios and once it has destroyed the Moreh, we will retreat." Etrius smiled. What a wise man Hawk was. Never trust quarians fully, so now they would betray their quarian defacto ally and then leave her ship as a floating ball of debris. Yes, it would be glorious. But what would be even more glorious would be gunning down Zorah as he made Shepard watch, and then kill him slowly. Yes, he would greatly enjoy that.

"Any questions? Or shall we commence Operation Pentagon?" Etrius asked, looking around the room expectantly. If noone asked a question, he knew he had covered everything. If they did, then he would fill in the gaps kindly. He respected his men, and his men respected him. Even as a retired Alliance general, Etrius lead these men like he would any Alliance force. They were human, which made the whole aspect that much easier to maintain. It was a trust born of years of warfare, and it had paid off. He had a force that was not only loyal to him, but strong patriots of human galactic dominance.

"Just one sir, what do we do about the Armed Response Fleet? They've got pretty formidable defenses and if they spot the Lithios...she won't stand a chance sir." Etrius had expected a question like that. And his concerns were legitmate, he didn't expect his men to follow him blindly into a city expecting their evacuation craft to be blown out of the sky and leave them stranded on a world full of synthetic retards and three-fingered suit rats. "That's why we are utilizing espionage and stealth assassination for this mission trooper. We will capture Shepard and Tali, and then assassinate every one else silently."

"But I thought you said everyone dies. Why are we letting Shepard and Tali live?" Etrius eyed the soldier but knew he was right. In the trooper's eyes, he was contradicting himself. "Who said they wouldn't die? Maybe I wasn't clear enough. We capture Shepard and Tali so I can kill them, personally." Satisfied he had all the answers he needed, he reaffirmed his formal stance of a parade rest.

"Anything else?" Seeing that noone had raised their hand he steadily moved forward before saying, loud and clear and in a authoritive voice, a voice that made even a krogan shiver, "Assemble at the drop pods. Prepare for aerial insertion soon. ETA to Rannoch is 2 hours. Get some rest."

After a quick salute, all soldiers began to move out and away from the hangar, preparing their drop pods for the impending flight into Rannochian hell. Stepping down from his podium, Etrius approached his drop pod with a firm and proud move of his feet. Anyone who saw him would of thought he was moving to secure some kind of holy artefact. As he keyed the code to open his drop pod, he remembered his wife, and how she had been part of the assault on the Citadel during the Reaper War. Dead, at Shepard's hands.

He stood inside the pod and crossed his arms infront of his chest, watching calmly as the pod closed, a hiss of air flowing out of it. He closed his eyes.

_I will vindicate her Shepard and when I do, you're going to wish you'd stayed somewhere safer._

...

"Tali... _Saera..._ I have no idea what to say...It's...It's...Wow." Tali laughed as she watched Shepard devour his bacon and eggs like a hungry  _Culz'iilm_. To say Shepard found Tali's second attempt at cooking an absolute success was a understatement. "THIS IS DELICIOUS!" Shepard shouted as he finally finished his breakfast. As he placed the knife and fork back on the plate he turned to Tali after swallowing his final swig of...orange juice?

"Tali, that was absolutely amazing? I mean...Gardner was this close," Shepard made a pincing motion with his finger, "this close to destroying my favourite breakfast. And you? You utterly succeeded in making it a whole lot better." Tali stopped laughing for a second and looked at him, "John, it can't have been that good. Only humans can perfect a human dish." Shepard smiled, "That's true."

"That's not what I meant. It's a whole lot better because it was cooked by the woman I love. It makes it that much more special." Tali felt herself blushing under the visor. She had never been this way around Shepard for a very long time, but I guess she never really had cooked for John before. "First my face, then my body, then my childhood artwork, then my dancing, then my engineering skills, and now my cooking. John, I think I might die of compliment overload." They both chuckled as Shepard joined her on the sofa. Tali snuggled in close and he wrapped his arm around her around her head and rested it on her right shoulder.

At that exact time, someone knocked on the door. At the same time, they both said, "Come in." They immediately glanced at each other and laughed silently.  _This is our home now. Better get used to it. Well, that's until we finish building our actual house._ He could already imagine Garrus getting sweaty and tired as he moved bits of foundation and Legion effortlessly moved bits and pieces. Out of coincidence, he saw Garrus step in. He immediately stopped, "Hope I wasn't intruding on anything...private."

"Of course not Garrus, come and sit down. I'll go grab some drinks." Tali immediately released Shepard's embrace and leapt up, firmly walking into the kitchen. Garrus sat down, opposite Shepard. He grimaced, "Quarian's aren't much for comfort are they?" Shepard laughed, he could tell Garrus was in major discomfort sitting in the quarian chair. "It's not that bad actually" Shepard stated. Garrus gave him a teasing glare, "You're human! Your species and the quarian share the same basic bodily outline, apart from the quarian's bodies being a little bit...bent. You know what I mean. Of course you would have no problem."

Shepard grinned, "Bent huh? How so?" Shepard knew what he meant, but he felt like playing around with him. "Have you seen their legs? Their backs? Their all, arched in a odd fashion. I don't know, it's hard to explain." Shepard nodded and laughed. It took a second for Garrus to register why, "I hate you." It didn't take long for Garrus to join in the laughing before he said, "So, have you and Tali finally stopped with the...creepy...you know, desire stuff? Or are we to expect Hybrid 2.0?" Shepard was about to answer when a very irritated voice basically told him one thing; don't answer that.

"I can hear you, you turian bosh'tet. Plus, your question shows just how little you know about my people. When asking a couple that question, you always follow one simple guideline. One principle." Tali said as she handed Garrus some turian brandy and Shepard and herself some wine. Garrus leaned in closer and Tali said loudly, "Always expect a second."

Shepard looked at her oddly. Tali looked back and smiled, "Forgotten already John? I said I wanted a big clan." Tali laughed as she took a sip of her wine. Shepard shook his head, "No Tali. The next one is adoption or artifical insemination. We are not going through another near death scenario. Giving birth to Rael almost killed you. I don't think you can survive a second hybrid birth, I don't know if their will be a second hybrid birth."

Tali shook her head amusingly, "It's okay John, I was just playing with you." Shepard sighed in relief, "About Hybrid 2.0." Shepard sighed again, but out of defeat. Tali still wanted a big clan. That wasn't his fear, what really worried him was the amount of children she was talking about. 2? 6? 10? 20? 40? 80? That gave him chills. The thought of waking up to a horde of children sleeping ontop of him and Tali was too much to bare. He remembered what Kal had told him.  _Be prepared to surrender your life Shepard. The woman rules the house, and you'll have to follow her orders. Children are just a added challenge._ Shepard knew one thing for certain. He may have fought armies of ruthless geth, unstoppable krogan, racist Cerberus, credit hungry mercenaries, Reaper abominations and mindless collector drones. But his toughest enemy yet was the one that would come from his lifemate's womb; children. He hated them already.

Garrus chuckled, "Shepard, just what have you signed up for? I guess bonding to a quarian has its setbacks as well. Don't let their good looks, beauty and sexy hips get the better of you! It's a trap!" Shepard turned and grinned, "The great Captain John Shepard, who destroyed the Reapers ending trillion of year's worth of galactic destruction, defeated by his quarian lover. I don't think that will go down well with the papparazi."

"I can imagine Khalisah, that annoying reporter would be spitting on your name and Diana would be laughing her head off. Ah yes, I look forward to those days. The days where you can longer walk around in full body armor and expect everyone to just move out of the way. Instead, your armor will be more like a sign saying, "Shoot me! I'm bonded to a crazy physcopathic quarian who's using me to turn her into a baby making machine! SHOOT ME!"

Garrus and Shepard laughed their heads off as Tali just crossed her arms and listened, "Men." She mumbled as she silently sipped her wine. For what seemed like hours, the trio just sat there, reminiscing in the past. Telling stories of their time fighting Saren and his geth heretics, defeating Harbinger and his collectors, running around the galaxy with Cerberus pursuing them, meeting Lana and Kal, becoming part of the Migrant Fleet, achieving peace between the quarians and the geth, uniting the Terminus systems, all the good times. Shepard had been curious of what Tali had been doing on Aeia when he was forced to leave her there when he went to save Dr. Kenson, and she told him that they found out Xen had been behind the destruction of the quarian-geth alliance and she lead a team of quarian commandos and Legion to assault the communications station that she was hiding in. Eventually Xen surrendered, but Gerrel saw the only option was to go to war and invade Rannoch.

Hearing that, Shepard hated Xen even more. He had been furious to hear that the quarians invaded Rannoch, making all his efforts to get peace between them pointless, but now he knew that it wasn't the quarian people's reluctance to accept the geth as allies that had destroyed the alliance, but Xen and her scientific and insane agenda. There was no point in killing her for it, the quarians and geth had long been peacefully coexisting, but he would still have to consult her about it. He had a mouthful to say to her.

Eventually, the trio chose to head back to the city center and attend the official opening of the Shepard and Tali memorial. Tali was visibly nervous about it, evident by her hand squeezing his, but she stayed calm and professional. She wasn't about to have stage fright in the middle of the entire city. She used the courage Shepard gave her, and she lead him, hand in hand, to the city center, Garrus following them.

As they entered, they found almost every quarian in the city standing, all eyes on them. Tali stopped dead.  _I can't do this. This is too much._ Garrus noticed this and knew the cause. Doing what any brother would do for their sister, Garrus decided to draw their attention to him so Tali and Shepard could sneak through undetected. Running out, he tried to think of something. He did the only thing he knew how, raising his rifle he fired it how into the sky and began making crazy movements. Every quarian looked at him as if he was a moron.

Noticing this, he lead Tali threw the rear of the distracted crowd and up to the statue. He stopped and turned her to face him. "Tali, do you want me to do the speech instead?" Tali widened her eyes in shock, "Speech!? We were meant to do a speech!?" Shepard facepalmed. It was obvious he was the only one who understood Shala's meaning by,  _"You better be ready to face the music, that is the human phrase right? So you better have something to say._ He tried to calm Tali's rising panic at the lack of a speech by rubbing her back gently and hugging her, whispering soft and reassuring words in her ears.

Positive that she could do it, she looked up slowly, "I'm ready John. I can do this." Nodding in relief, John took her hand and walked up onto the podium. Waiting for them, were the eyes of every single quarian citizen living in the Migrant Fleet.

17 Million eyes now rested on them.

...

"Initiating pre-drop check. All systems look green across the board, everything looks solid." Etrius stated as he worked through the numerous systems in his pod. Hull integrity, stealth pod, coolers, clamps, etc. Once he was sure they were all safe and secured, he gave his assistant a thumbs up, allowing him to back off as the pod was lowered through the hatch and out into the empty void of space. Well, not as empty as expected.

Before lay the massive ball of rock the quarians called a homeworld. He could see the large hulks of quarian warships gliding above the planet, weapons glistening in its rays. Suit rats or not, the quarians knew how to build warships. The ship below him had the size of a small destroyer, but had the armament of a heavy cruiser or carrier. It was a long drop, but he and his men had been well trained on orbital insertion, afterall, they had done the same on Benning and Noveria.

Strapping himself in, he tapped the comms to make sure he was in steady contact with all squad, section, platoon, company and battalion commanders. Watching as they all checked in, he motioned for the comms to the entire regiment, "Troopers, we are green! And very, very mean!" With that, he gave the order to drop. Their drop zone was a kilometer outside Unastali. Using prototype Geth Hunter cloaks installed on the pods, they'd be able to sneak in undetected.

Pulling the lever, he felt the whole drop pod shake as it was released from the Lithios, followed by every other drop pod. He was able to catch a glimpse of what looked like a massive horde of angry bees descending into Rannoch's atmosphere before he, and everyone else, activated their cloaks. They all disappeared just as they zoomed past the Quarian patrols. Once they passed the quarian warships, he felt the whoe pod heat up alittle. They had entered Rannoch's atmosphere.

It was only thanks to the coolers that he wasn't melting and burning up. Fiery flame surrounded the pod, blocking all view of the outside. He closed his eyes, holding onto his dogtags.  _Rain Hell._ That was Romulus Regiment Delta's motto. It suited well. The sound of the fiery substances colliding with his pod ceased and he opened his eyes. He looked upon Rannoch, and immediately regretted everything he said about the planet. It was a sight to behold.

The burning bright sun of Tikkun shone brightly in the sky, illuminating the beautiful landscape in a color of everyellow light. The grassy savannah's that dotted the landscape were bound to be teaming with wildlife. The flowing river or "Ogwer" as quarians called them, flowed past Unastali like a herd of stampeding dear. It's beautiful appearence nothing but a disguise to its deadly waters. The rocks that jutted out from distant mountains and he saw he could see the wreckage of a Reaper destroyer nearby. This planet wasn't a rock, it was closer to Earth then he could have imagined.  _A pity most of the planet is land, unlike Earth._

His mind returned to looking at the status reports as his indicator flashed to tell him they were 500 kilometers from the surface and closing...fast. He readied his Argus rifle and prepared to release the pod hatch.  _300._ The land below quickly caught up to him, his pod descending towards its evergreen surface.  _90._ Horizon, Julius, Steel, Iron, Gypsy, Nomad and Jester platoons announced that they were on the ground and moving to secure the landing zone.  _40._ Over three quarters of the regiment were on the ground.  _10._ Just waiting for him. He jerked upward as his pod slammed into the ground, bits of rock and dirt flying up in all directions.

The Argus rifle he held so closely to him jerked into his chest, winding him. The straps tightened and he felt himself suffocate for a second. Then it was over, the rifle rested on his lap while the straps lessened. Releasing the straps, he kicked the hatch open, as the clamps had been weakened by the impact enough to do so. He leapt out of his pod, immediately assuming his battle stance; crouched on the ground, the butt of his weapon placed firmly in his shoulder, looking down the sights. He turned around making sure no surprises waited for him. His biotics waited for his order to be unleashed and tear his geth and quarian enemies apart.

Satisfied no hostiles waited for him, he stood up and lowered his weapon. Entering the clearing, he saw his entire regiment waiting. Nomad commander Brendon Grigs ran up to him, saluting. "All squads, sections, platoons, companies and battalions report in sir. Waiting for your order to advance on Unastali."

Nodding for the soldier to relax his stance, he checked his Argus to make sure incendiary ammo was firmly turned on. Checking again to make sure of its validity, he looked up. "All teams move up, get Reaper and Pegasus teams to secure the rear and for Julius and Jester to take point. Advance up, quitely as you can." They all nodded as the regiment began to move out of the clearing, into the forest canopy and towards Unastali.

He checked his mission timer.  _6 minutes. Were making good time. We should have this done in an hour, tops._ Etrius then moved into his position as center guard.

...

"Tali, I don't think you realize just how well you did out there. That speech was excellent, especially for one that didn't exist." Shepard said, hugging her as she came down from the podium. The sounds of quarian clapping could still be heard, and it hurt his ears to hear so many at once.

Tali laughed halfheartedly before breaking his embrace. "Thanks John. I honestly didn't expect to do that well. Plus, having Shala and Han cheering me on in the background really helped. Of course, you laughing at my poor jokes also helped." Tali saw Shepard's 'poor?' look and answered first, "And don't lie. My jokes were terrible and you know it. You were only laughing because it was to help me out. So thank you, it really did." Shepard shrugged, "Hey, the art of joking is a difficult one. Don't expect to become a artist at it immediately, it takes time. Besides, if you hadn't given away the punch lines immediately, the jokes would have been better."

"Hey! You're the one who suggested to quote," She said in a mocking voice, one that sounded too manly to not be worried, "'Gamer logic. Anyone worse than me is a noob, anyone better than me has no life', come on. That had no punch line and plus, it was irrevelant to the topic!" Shepard shrugged and gave her a concerned glance, "Hey, that joke goes way back. Back to a time where trolling and memes were big internet things. I know it wasn't relevant, but it lightened the mood didn't it? Besides, that manly voice was too realistic just then for me not to be worried alittle."

Tali, replying in her normal voice, "It's okay John. My suit allows me to meddle around with my speech modulator, allowing me to mess with the voice. And what's the internet? Trolling? Memes?" Shepard knew this would be a good time to explain. "Well, the internet back in human times of being stranded on Earth, was our equivalent to the galactic extranet. Ours was just global. Trolling was a form of inconvience. Basically, a person would say something that is incredibly dumb to lure intelligent people to comment. The trolls would then continously respond with more dumb comments, to get the responding recipient to get irritated and worked making it "trolling." We call it trolling because its named after a ancient mythical earth creature called a troll that lots of brawn, but was extremely and unbelievably dumb."

"Memes are basically just images with like smartass jokes added to them. Many others include modified quotations and others. So yeah, now that I've taught you three things about humanity, you teach me three things about the quarians." Tali just laughed, "John, I've taught you enough about the quarians. Too much, however, you've barely told me anything about humans. Tell me, what is it with humans and war? I heard your people have gone through so many conflicts that you'd think you'd rival the turians in war mastery."

"That's a story for...privacy. How about we go into your apartment and discuss it there?" Tali crossed her arms in feined irritation and refusal and smiled, "Oh really? Or do you have some kind of plan to get me distracted and make me forget about the current topic? Come on John, what do you have planned? Romantic Dinner? Sex? Sleep? Cuddling? What?" John was flabbergasted. "None of the above. Well, definitely the last two. I'm exhausted and I need a certain someone to help me sleep."

"Sure...Still, that sounds good. Maybe we can go to sleep to the sound of you giving me a rundown of human history." She wasn't relenting. John had heard alot about quarians, but in the end she knew so little of humans. This was her chance. John sighed in defeat, "Very well Mrs. Vas Rannoch, lets go home." Tali gave a smug smile of victory before taking his offered hand and walking down to their apartment, which was made much easier thanks to the dispersing crowd. From afar, Shala, Han and Legion watched them.

Shala turned to Legion, "Begin Project: Gyuma, I think its time. Gather every geth worker you can find to work on it. Quarians as well. We've been looking for a ship to use as a testing unit for that new prototype cloak and I think Gyuma is perfect." Legion nodded, "Very well Admiral Shala'Raan vas Rannoch, I will gather everything I can. But what of Admiral Daro'Xen vas Rannoch? She will not take lightly to such a undertaking."

Shala and Han glanced at each other before looking back at Legion, "Very well, keep the project a secret. Build it off site. Good luck." Legion nodded and returned to the geth  _Taliko,_  driving off. Shala turned to Han, but he spoke first. "Shepard and his crew will have to be kept in the dark as well."

"True. They are not to know of this. Not a peep, not even a mention of the word Gyuma. Make sure not even your crew knows. The only people to know about this are the geth and our workers entrusted to work on it, you, me and Legion."

Nodding Han left. Shala returned to looking over Unastali, watching the sun set in the distant horizon.

 **Bosh'tet:** Thought by many non-quarians to be the quarian equivalent of "son of a bitch" or "bastard." Surprisingly, it is actually the name of a animal native to Rannoch, similiar to Earth rats. It is a rodent to lives my scavenging, but has a very low intelligence, is quite irritating and lazy. It eats the excrement of other animals, using what's let of it as a home and the undigested bits as sustenance. It will eat any dung, even its own. It will defend its dung pile at any cost, even its own kind, and has been known to fight to the death. Quarians used it as a curse word for people who are being stupid, unresponsive, irritating or fighting for a worthless cause or reason.

 **Taliko:** First appeared game wise in Priority: Rannoch. Geth utilizes it as a escape vehicle during the assault on the Reaper Destroyer. Talikos are fast geth mobile transport hubs that are utilized to deploy geth troops into battle quickly and to provide suppressing fire. They can carry up to 20 platforms at maximum and house a single geth turret.

 **Saera:** Term used when speaking to ones lifemate. Literal translation: My souls soul. Other meanings include, but are not limited to: Keeper of my soul and My souls protector. Most commonly used word throughout the fleet by a quarian when speaking privately to their lifemate. Though unconfirmed by any quarian, there are implications that this word holds extreme intimacy as well as absolute trust. No single human word or phrase encompassed all that this one short word implies as it appears to contain both dominance and submissive traits.

 **Gyuma:** Term used when referring to someone's home. Literal Translation: Home of Lifemates. The term is mostly used to refer to a couple's housing, but can be referred to anything that is considered a home to a couple.

**I've decided to keep MC in the story. I don't care what you people think, he must STAY! He's fitting in so well, his character has so much potential in the story, it doesn't feel right yanking him away just as he is getting to bond to the crew. So yes, he stays. Full stop. I am aware I may lose readers over this, but I do encourage you to keep reading. The story won't get any worst with his presence. I am not forcing you to read on, but I do encourage you to keep reading and hopefully continue to enjoy the story I'm moving thicker into.**

**I'm at a kind of dilemma. I'm currently set on making a trilogy on this called "To Survive 2" or "Mass Effect: Chronicles." I will message Callinstel for sanction to use the former, but I'm pretty sure you guys would prefer me to use the latter. Now, back to my dilemma. I really want to work on this trilogy, but at the same time I think I should just stick with this and it with one hell of a epic and emotional epilogue. What do you think? If so, the series will go with this one, "aftermath", then "Transgression," and finally "Axiom." The second one is a secret, but I will tell you that it will focus more on Rael'Shepard's adventures, but you will get glimpses of Tali and Shepard's life on Rannoch at the same time.**

**Anyway, tell me what you think in the review section.**

**Now I'm getting this annoying glitch as I dub it, where the mixture of the words ' ' keeps getting deleted from the fanfic. For example, you probably noticed at the start of "LET'S PARTY!" it said '" , could we have a word with you?"' It was really meant to say "Dr. Chakwas, could we have a word with you?" I even remember checking over again before posting and saw that exact line there. So fanfiction has to be the one deleting it in the first place. That, or its simply a posting glitch in the system. Now I know this might not matter to you, but I just want you to know that that is not a error on my part, and it isn't my fault. And I swear to god, if even my correction gets deleted, I will be seriously annoyed.**

**Anyway, I might not be posting any chapters tommorow due to my copy of Halo 4 Limited arriving and I'll be playing Campaign, Spartan Ops and War Games with my friends. So yeah. Btw, if you want to be part of this online friend festival, just send me or one of the following a friend request. Mine is "ArchReaperN7" and my friend's is "dividing MDH."**

**Only requirement needed is to come with a non-'assholeic' attitude and a copy of Halo 4. Btw again, I would strongly advise you check out Reaver938's "The Castle Project" fanfiction. His gamertag is dividing MDH and he has made the fanfic to be based on a animation series of the same name on deletionquality . net . Go check it out, if you have the time.**

**Remember to love, not hate! And I will see you when Chap 24 comes out!**

"So much for peace."

\- Jacob


	25. Cerberus Rising

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cerberus pushes into Unastali, but gets more than they bargained for. Shepard worries over a possible Cerberus resurgence.

_**Cerberus Rising** _

**I don't seem to be getting as many reviews as I was. Either people are slowly abandoning this, or are just remaining silent. I do urge you to review and not only post your thoughts, but let me know that I ain't just making this out of enjoyment.**

**Thanks :) Enjoy the chapter!**

...

"So Grunt, you krogan are supposedly very tough. So, why not actually show me?" Chief asked as he executed a left hook to Grunt's thick cranium. Grunt staggered slightly from the force of the blow. "I AM KROGAN!" Grunt charged forward. He was shocked when his head came into contact with nothing. He ran into the wall and heard Chief chuckling, "Yeah, and I'm just human."

 _Human smartass._ Grunt turned around to see Chief giving him a mocking wave.  _He shall not mock Urdnot Grunt! Soldier of Battlemaster Shepard!_ Grunt equipped his claymore, and smiled. Chief eyed the gun.  _Out of ideas?_ He was surprised when a orange like weapon flew into his hands, seemingly assembling itself. Making a weird clicking noise, Chief faced Grunt, grinning. "Shotgun vs. Scattershot, this thing will instantly kill you. I'm sure you don't want to find out if I'm lying or not."

Grunt cursed in his language.  _Damn you Human._ Grunt put away his shotgun but took chief by surprise when he charged into him. Chief dropped the weapon on the ground and flew into the ground.  _Fuck! Should have seen that!_ He rolled away from Grunt's stomp and leapt back up. Instead of fighting back he held out a hand. Grunt eyed it and laughed. "You quit!" Grunt laughed mockingly.

"Nope, I just let you off before I got to show you what my hardlight shield can do." Grunt frowned.  _Hardlit shild?_ Grunt had an epiphany almost immediately after completing the handshake. "How about I tell you what enemies I faced. Let's see, I've fought whole armies of mercenaries, killed off lots of geth heretics and reapers, and I've killed more collectors than you could possibly tally. Now your turn." Grunt gave a smug smile of victory. He soon wished he hadn't.

"Bitch please, I've taken on the entire Covenant Empire and defeated them. I destroyed two halo rings and its master control unit. I helped destroy the Covenant's capital and defeated a parasitic infection called the Flood and its gravemind. Not to mention, I battled Forerunners, the kings of the Galaxy, and took down their greatest champion, the Didact. Your kills are nothing compared to mine." Grunt was half impressed by the human but also half irritated.  _How did this simple human become better than me. It's not fair._

"Next time eh?" Chief said as he patted Grunt on the back as he left the scene, picking up his 'scattershot' along the way. Shrugging, Grunt headed for the temporary camp for the Normandy crew, where he and Wrex would soon be picked up and dropped off at Tuchanka, saying his final goodbyes to his battlemaster. He had fought many glorious and triumphant battles alongside his battlemaster, but now that time had ended. Shepard had a mate, and his love for battle has diminished, leaving a soft outer shell. Grunt laughed at how soft Shepard had become after rescuing Tali from Haestrom, and it only got worse. Now, he would only be a pissed off, unstoppable powerhouse when his mate was in danger or when Garrus, the turian hotshot, was in danger. Blood brothers he and Shepard were.

Grunt huffed as he reached the LZ, watching the numerous members of the Normandy crew strolling around. He chuckled, but stopped as he saw a red dot on the horizon. He squinted at it but didn't get a closer look due to a sniper round whizzing past the back of his head and extinquishing the red dot. Expecting Garrus, he turned around to see Chief, sniper rifle brandished. "Were under attack. By Cerberus. A whole regiment." Grunt's eyes broke into a smile as he equipped his Claymore. "Finally, some more action!"

...

Tali's hand stayed firmly wrapped in Shepard's as they walked down the streets of Unastali, admiring the view. Soon they would depart the city for the outskirts, where numerous resources would be provided by Legion to help build their new home. The mother in herself wondered what Rael was up too, the lifemate in herself enjoyed the moments she had with John. However, not being able to have children had not been her only fear. Her other fear scared her even further, age.

Due to Quarian cell structure, Quarians could live much longer than humans. Most Quarians reached 130, lucky ones hit 200. Heri'Zorah, the current elder of Clan Zorah, was currently closing in on 150, which means she would most likely live to 201. The age factor scared her because she knew John would age and die faster than her. She didn't mention it because that was still far away, they had at least 60 or so years until it got to that stage. 60 years she planned to spend in her lifemate's arms.

As they walked, a voice shouted across the street, making Tali jump and Shepard to turn around. Running towards them were Veetor and Elan. "Admiral Shepard please wait!" Tali's eyes lowered. She knew Veetor would want to commence the ceremony, but what would she tell them? That she was dispatched from the Board for insubordination and for going AWOL? That she was no longer fit to carry out the rights?

Veetor stopped, holding Elan's hand. "Please Admiral." Clearing her throat, Tali spoke, almost in a mumble. "Yes...Veetor?" Shepard was watching Tali carefully and he instantly recognized the mumble in her voice. She knew what Veetor would ask and he was wondering what. A matter of fact, Veetor and Elan holding hands was something of a shock to him. Back on the Rayya, Elan had been nothing but Veetor's physcologist, nursing him back to sanity after what happened on Freedom's Progress. He hadn't realized they had become romantically involved.

"When I asked you last, you said you would but then left in a hurry. We understood your reasons and didn't complain. I would have done the same for Elan. But could you...please...bond me and Elan now?" Veetor was now fumbling with his fingers, but Elan was just watching Tali with concern. Tali scratched the back of her head and turned to Shepard. He gave her a reassuring nod and smiled. For some reason, that smile always erased all worry in her mind. She turned back to Veetor, "Yes, of course. Do you have someone to stand beside you and reinforce the bond?"

Veetor and Elan glanced at each other. They shook their heads. Shepard stepped forward. "If you so wish Veetor, I'll stand by you." Veetor nodded happily, "Yes Captain, that is much appreciated, but what about Elan?" Shepard lost his smile as he tried to figure out who could stand by Elan. Tali was out as she was bonding them. Then a familiar voice came up, "I'll do it. Although I think I'll need a khelish tutor." Shepard and Tali turned to see Kasumi appear from her cloak. Shepard felt a smile creep across his face.

"It's not that difficult actually. All you do is just confirm that the bond is true and respond accordingly during the ceremony. I will give each of you 10 minutes to speak with your assiociates, I will be waiting in the city center, where I shall gather your family and friends." Tali bowed and left. Waiting until she was gone, Shepard turned to Veetor, "Well, let's go." Together, Shepard and Veetor left, leaving Kasumi and Elan awkwardly looking at each other. Finally, Kasumi spoke up, "Ah, what do I do?" Elan giggled and then began walking her through it.

Once inside the nearby building, Shepard stopped and Veetor turned to face him. Shepard crossed his arms, "Veetor, I evidently need to prove the bond is true and not fabricated, so I shall ask you a set of..." Veetor rolled his eyes, "No offense Shepard, but I think I understand my own traditions." Shepard chuckled, "Of course. Shall we begin? First things first, may I see the  _pal'tec vis surden_  you wish to present to your lifemate?" Veetor nodded and reached into a suit pocket, pulling out his pal'tec vis surden, holding it in his palm. Shepard examined the pal'tec vis surden and was impressed. Unlike most quarians, Veetor had made it out of actual raw materials, instead of utilizing scrap metal from waste disposal.

He didn't need a translator to read the khelish scriptures, thanks to Tali's little lessons.  _I'm no expert though._ The scriptures read "Our Future". Unlike the one he presented to Tali, which read "A Promise" and had a picture of the Normandy flying around Rannoch with a house on it, Elan's one had a picture of a young child inbetween a female and male quarian. He smiled, "It's very well crafted Veetor, your very talented." Veetor smiled and put the pal'tec back in the pocket.

"Now, I must ask you to prove the bond. Convince me."  _Which shouldn't be hard. Most lifemate's bonds are never fake._ Veetor sighed and began explaining. As Shepard listened to the explanation, he began a break down of all the things he could use to question the bond. He could find none and was surprised at how well Veetor covered it all. He left Shepard clueless, not a single thing to question, which was his job as Veetor's advisor, to make sure the bond isn't fabricated for political, economical, dictatorial or any other purpose. This bond was true. He never doubted it, he knew Veetor and Elan weren't being used by some higher power, the only person he expected to be doing that would be Xen, and she knew enough to stay away from him.  _Or I'll kill her._

Thinking he had heard enough, Shepard rose his hand for him to stop. "You've proven yourself worthy of Elan's attention Veetor, a very worthy mate. I see why she chose you." He chuckled as he patted Veetor's shoulder. Veetor let out the choked mixture of laughter and nervousness, wringing his fingers. "Come on Veetor, a very special woman is waiting for you. I don't think you'd like to keep her waiting. I kept Tali waiting at one point, and, well...let's just say I now know what a  _tri'guri das gulag_ is, and that Tali's punches are stronger than I thought. My ribs hurt for a whole week."

Veetor laughed at Shepard's mishap, while Shepard just laughed at his own expense. They slowly left the building and approached the city center, where Elan, Kasumi and Tali were probably waiting.

...

When Shepard and Veetor entered the city square, it was packed with members of Clan Nara and Shiya. He recognized the old worn out suits of the elders of Clan Nara and Shiya, their lifemates next to them, their suits in equal amounts of disrepair. He noticed a craftsman from Clan Nara holding a Aero blue realk of a doctor and the everrepeating hexagons of Clan Nara. It was part of quarian tradition that the female always join the male's clan, so Elan'Shiya vas Wusii would become Elan'Nara vas Rannoch.

He could see Tali standing up on the podium, Shala whispering in her ear, Tali's nodding was a indication that Shala was teaching her how to execute bonding ceremonies. Elan stood behind them, her mind drifting into nothing. However, her eyes soon darted to Veetor and due to the expanding of her eyes, Shepard could tell she was smiling. For her sake, Shepard picked up the pace, which Veetor followed with little effort.  _Damn, quarians really can run faster than humans. Still, I've got upgrades, so I can outmatch Veetor in any race. Not that...I will race him._ Shepard shook the thought of racing quarian sprinters from his head and stopped infront of Elan.

She hugged Veetor and they stood next to each other. Noticing this, Tali nodded and turned to Shala, whispering something. Shala turned and nodded, retreating from the podium, giving Tali the stage. Shala nodded at Shepard as she went to joining the crowd. Shepard simply smiled in response. Looking up at Tali, he noticed she was looking at him for motivation.  _She is so cute when she's nervous. I don't think that'll ever get old. What was that thing Gerrel said? 'the energy of youth'._ He raised a thumbs up and a nod, followed by a smile to reassure her. She then turned to the crowd, her voice loud and rebounding.

"This gathering is brought to order. Blessed are the ancestors who has kept us alive, sustained us, and allowed us to reach this season. Keelah Se'lai." Tali repeated the words that every quarian that was leading a congregation would say to bring themt to order and begin the session. Every quarian responded in kind, including himself. Through his dedicated channel he said, "Are you sure you wouldn't make a good politician?" Tali's answer came 2 seconds later, "Shut up, you bosh'tet." Shepard just silently chuckled. When he saw Tali's glare, he immediately shut up. He could hear Veetor and Elan laughing at his misfortune.

Tali turned to the couple, "Veetor, Elan. Are you ready to proceed?" Veetor and Elan hesitated for a moment, then responded, "Yes." Nodding, she turned back, keying the comm. Due to such a long period in space as nomads, the quarians kept to the newly remade ceremony, which was greatly shortened. Soon, that would change. Finished, Tali answered, "City's log, official entry by now defunct Admiral Tali'Shepard vas Rannoch, Rannoch."

"For the record, please state your full name" Tali says, turning to Veetor.

"Veetor'Nara vas Rannoch" Veetor said nervously. He couldn't believe he was actually doing this, getting bonded. He was so hyped up about it, now that he's doing it, he's REALLY nervous.

"And you rreason for this log?" Tali asks.

Swallowing, Veetor answers, "To officially declare and record the joining of my life to Elan'Shiya's."

"John..." Tali trailed off, "Captain John Shepard, is this a true and complete bonding?"

Shepard smiled at Tali's mixup of words. He really did prefer it when she called him John, "Yes, Tali'Shepard." He used Tali's formal name so as not to make this personal.

Tali nodded and turned to Elan, "For the record, please state your full name."

"Elan'Shiya vas Rannoch" Elan stated, straightening up. She wasn't as emotionally unstable as Veetor was.

"And you're reason for this log?" Tali asked.

"To officially declare and record the joining of my life to Veetor'Nara's." She glanced at Veetor and smiled warmly.

"Kasumi'Goto, is this a true and complete bonding?" Tali asked, turning to her hooded friend.

"Ah...I guess?" Kasumi said, scratching the back of her head. Smiling, Shepard whispered in her ear, "repeat what I said."

Nodding, "Oh right... it is Tali'Shepard." Shepard chuckled at Kasumi's mix up.

"Veetor'Nara please present your pal'tec vis surden to your lifemate." Veetor nodded and nervously approached Elan, who turned to face him. He looked at the ground until Elan's approach caught his attention. She smiled and held his hand tightly. Finally gaining the strength to move, Veetor retrieved the pal'tec from his suit pocket and gently pressed it into Elan's palm. She felt tears welling up as she read the scriptures. She whispered on their dedicated channel, "Oh Veetor...thank you."

Veetor tried to remember the words he was meant to say, and when he had them, he looked into Elan's eyes, "Elan'Shiya, I present my name and symbol to you. One to have now, the other for us to build together as we continue in life's journey as a single soul."

Elan smiled and gently placed her hand on the side of his helmet and returned the answer, "Veetor'Nara, I take your name now as my own. This symbol, our future, we shall reach together as we continue on this journey as one body, one soul."

Tali had wanted to do this, but she had been unsure. She was sure now, and she wanted to do it. She unwrapped a silver cord and approached Elan and Veetor. Stopping next to them, she wraps the silver cord around their bonded hands and closes her eyes, reciting the ancestor's prayer.

"Two hearts in the void, two souls lost at night."

"Two lives once apart, joined within the light."

"One life now remains, one life shared by two."

"One heart beating strong, joined... their souls... renew."

Tali left the cord wrapped and returned to her podium. Shepard was smiling, giving her the thumbs up. She smiled, and stepped back onto the podium, turning her gaze to Elan. "From this day forward, and with the blessings of the Ancestors, you shall be known as Elan'Nara of clan Nara. Lifemate of Veetor." She took a deep breath and turned back to the crowd.

"Let it be known that with this naming, and by ancient quarian laws, that before you now stand one body, one voice, one soul. Walk as one in life. Keelah se'lai" Everyone returned the words as did Shepard. He almost jumped at a familiar voice, "Keelah Se'lai. Did I miss anything?" Turning, he saw Garrus grinning at him behind him stood Kal and Lana, beaming by the looks of the eyes behind their masks.

"No, not that you'd care, 'turian'" He mimicked Sparatus' air quotations, which made Garrus laugh. Kal and Lana looked bemused. "I'll explain later." He turned to see Veetor and Elan removing the cord and they immediately hugged each other. He approached behind Veetor, and then said loudly, "Do you two need a room? I would rather you two didn't perform the week of seclusion in the middle of the city."

Veetor immediately broke the hug, "Of course not Captain. A matter of fact, Elan already has a..." Veetor's words became background noise as he notices a flash of red in the corner of his right eye. He turned to see a red dot training on Tali's head. Kal had evidently noticed this too, as he was looking directly at her.  _Sniper._ Before he could react however, he was beaten to it.

"Creator, look out!" The shot is heard just as the geth jumps in front of Tali, its head blown off, splattering white synthetic liquid all over her suit. To save her from further assault, Shepard hurries Tali behind nearby cover. Kal and Lana, marine training kicking in, both equip their weapons but are too late as a sniper round goes off. "Scoped and dropped. Cerberus bastard." They saw the barrel of Garrus' sniper rifle, before he reloaded it.

The attack had been confusing, but the fact that it was Cerberus confused him even more. "Cerberus? But their..." Garrus shrugged his shoulders. Shepard was annoyed, but he noticed mass panic as quarian protectors and geth alike moved to get the civilians behind safe ground. Turning, he saw a Cerberus squads towards them, and he flew backwards as a crate hit him. He hit the ground, his back aching like hell.

The crate continued to hit Garrus, but due to it hitting him first, its momentum slowed down so it barely affected him. Looking up, he saw a single Cerberus trooper, glowing in biotic energy. Elan attempts to protect Veetor by hitting him, but only ends up getting picked up. "Stupid suit rat..." the soldier spat as he lifted the quarian higher and higher. He was going to drop her. Knowing he was unarmed, he prepared to charge the biotic, but was beaten as the biotic was stabbed in the chest by a incendiary omniblade. That didn't surprise him, the wielder did.

Veetor.

Retracting the blade, Veetor shouted loudly as he caught his falling lifemate, "CERBERUS BASTARDS!" Shepard never thought he'd see the day. He smiled as the bleeding biotic retreated, ordering his troops to kill the pair. Once again, Shepard was beaten to it as a massive amount of nostalgia hit his mind as he heard a familiar salarian, "Oh no you don't!" He watched as two blue orbs flew past and impacted two cerberus troopers. The blue orbs exploded in tiny deadly explosions of blue light, the gorey remains of the troopers all that remained, splattered on the ground. The last troopers tried to retreat, but were gunned down by quarian and geth reinforcements.

Finally able to see who it was, Shepard saw none other than the one salarian he was friends with other than Mordin. It was...Kirrahe. "Kirrahe! What in god's name possessed you to leave Earth and come here!" He said, shaking Kirrahe's outstretched hand. Reloading his lovable scorpion pistol. "Holding the line got a little cliche, Captain. So I decided training Quarian recruits was my thing. Convenient isn't it?"

"Ah, who is this?" Kal asked. Laughing, Shepard turned to Kirrahe and then back to Kal, "Let me introduce Major Casus Kirrahe he's one hell of a soldier. Met him on Virmire and he helped me retake Earth." Kirrahe nodded, "Except its Lieutenant Colonel Casus Kirrahe now, promoted officially by the highest members of STG itself." Shepard nodded in impression, and then keyed his comms, he was getting a call.

"Shepard here." The gruff voice of Chief responded, "Shepard, Chief here, better get here now, city's under..." Shepard finished the sentence for him, "...attack from Cerberus forces. I know, we just had an encounter with a squad of them." Chief nodded in reply as he snapped the neck of another Cerberus centurion before replying, "Cortana counts a whole regiment of them. If they brought this much force, they not only have a vessel in orbit, but they also must be on a desperate mission to wipe us out."

"But Cerberus is meant to be destroyed. I mean, The Crucible should have wiped them out along with the Reapers." It was very confusing. Cerberus should be destroyed, and yet their here. And even if they did rebuild, they wouldn't have the Illusive Man leading them. Who's behind this? Another voice replied, "The geth and EDI were meant to be dead too, but look around you, Cerberus rebuilt, Shepard." James replied. Shepard nodded. "Very well, what's your location?"

"Near the markets, Cerberus are pushing hard. We'll keep them distracted while you launch a flanking assault. Get them inside our sphere, and then we can clamp the trap shut. And watch out, this Etrius guy, he's a Sentinel." James then cut the link. Shepard turned to his current team. "Tali, Kal, Lana, Kirrahe, Garrus You're all with me. Veetor, Elan, I need you to find safety. Stay hidden." Elan was ready to protest, but Tali stopped her, "No Elan, you're not marines, you're not trained to fight enhanced Cerberus troopers, just find safety. Let Veetor keep you safe." Tali stated.

Nodding in disappointment, Elan and Veetor ran into a nearby building, locking it. Before they could move out, they were joined by Shala, who was literally covered, head to toe, in quarian marine armor, and was holding a shotgun with a sniper rifle on her back. Tali was impressed, "Shala, never thought you were a warrior." Shala shrugged, "I was once a marine. Served my time, then became Captain of the Tonbay. Before I knew it, I was an Admiral. Gerrel and Rael weren't the only ex-combatants." Shala made sure the mass accellerator was equipped on her shotgun before turning to the rest.

Grinning, Shepard nodded saying, "Tali, Kal, Lana, Kirrahe, Garrus  _and_ Shala, you're with me. Let's go kick some ass." Before they could move again, another squad of Cerberus troopers deployed in front of them. "Don't move..." Only one got to say this before he was stabbed in the back. Thrown away, the perpertrator was revealed.  _A...A...Rachni?_ It didn't take long before multiple rachni killed the rest of the squad and then the Queen appeared. Looking up, he yelled, "What are Rachni doing on Rannoch!? I hope you haven't chosen this as a homeworld! You'll have to fight the quarians and the geth over that!" The Rachni Queen took control of one of the dead troopers, saying, "Me and my children have come to fulfill peace talks. A political conference is being stated for the foundations of the new Citadel Council, which will involve all species, quarians, geth, and even rachni. A embassy was planned on being built in Unastali, but was built on the Citadel instead, the Rannoch embassy shared by Geth and Quarians alike. However, this attack has made it...difficult."

Shala whispered in his ear, "With Quarian protectors, geth troops, us and the Rachni queen and her 'children', we can easily decimate that Cerberus regiment. They can't have planned on Rachni showing up." Shepard nodded and then ran down towards the markets thinking only one thing,  _who else showed up?_

...

"Miranda, on your right!" James shouted as he threw a frag grenade into a approaching section of Cerberus troopers. Miranda nodded and unleashed her biotics on a phantom attempting to assassinate her, and then went in with her omniblade to finish her off. Once she was sure the phantom was indeed dead, Miranda returned to James' position, to help fend off the Cerberus attack. However, when she got there, she found the section all blown to bits, James' frags being the culprits.

Chief quickly rushed past them and speed tackled one Guardian, the force of the charge shattering the shield and allowing Chief to execute a left hook, the velocity of the punch sending the poor bastard's head very far back, snapped. Leaping off that body, Etrius moved in, tech armor enabled and unleashed a biotic shockwave. This barely moved Chief and he leapt up in the air, punching Etrius. This was blocked by a biotic barrier, which sent Chief flying. Etrius was surprised by the superhuman's resilience, as Chief just shrugged off his attack like a scale itch and just returned to the fight, mindlessly and efficiently killing his troops.

He was like the perfect predator, deadly, stealthy, quick, and efficient. He would attack one soldier while he was distracted, quickly execute them and then move on, like a heat seeking projectile, slaughtering his brothers in arms. He hated this human, but damn, he respected him. He didn't waste time with fancy executions, he just either snapped their neck or filled them full of bullet holes. Etrius moved to tackle the human, but stopped as a intimidating voice sounded behind him, "By the spirits, what is this?"

Etrius turned to see a Turian, black armor wearing his colonial markings as one born on Tatrus, and held his assault rifle in alert carry. Numerous Turian soldiers stood behind him. He knew this turian, who didn't, he was probably the most brilliant tactician that ever lived. "Oh shit..." Etrius got out before being picked up and thrown into the ground. Chief was above him, but using pull, he lifted Chief off the ground, allowing him to escape.

Primarch Adrien Victus looked at the armoured human tackle the Cerberus leader to the ground, but was lifted up by biotics. "Men, gun down these Cerberus dogs!" Victus shouted as he ran forward, avenger rifle unleashing bullets upon the Cerberus regiment. James just shouted out, "Hell yeah! No idea what you're doing here Victus, but hell yes! Give 'em hell!" Victus just smiled as he continued to slaughter the Cerberus regiment. Their were certainly alot of them, but he wasn't giving up. He never backed down from a fight, he may be a primarch, but he was a general long before that. And a brilliant one at that.

He heard a shout as one of his men fell from a bullet to the head. Spinning on his heels to face the source of the attack, Victus let his assault rifle pepper the unlucky trooper until he fell to the ground in a crumbled heap. Ejecting the thermal clip, Victus decided he would attempt to take out the leader, but was too late. Chief was already tackling with the sentinel and he decided to let the juggernaut finish him off. At that moment he heard the leader shout, "Retreat! Suppressing fire!" The remaining troops immediately broke off into the city, but it was an organized retreat, no pancing.  _Very organized, for Cerberus._ He wasn't going to give them a chance, however.

Signalling his men to follow him, he pressed forward, followed by the Normandy crew. Cerberus desperately tried to hold off the relentless horde of powerful soldiers, but it was fruitless. Etrius killed two more turians before deciding they'd have a better chance of just getting evac. He keyed his radio, "Lithios come in! Lithios, please respond!" Nothing. Not a peep. Not even a whisper. Just static. That meant only one thing in his books. He turned to his squad, "Lithios has been compromised, contact the Moreh, I need immediate evac right now!"

Another trooper fell, so they continued into the plaza, where he was hoping he would be able to hold out until the Moreh arrived. He had brought any entire regiment of Cerberus troops, all under his command. That's 3,000 troops. Thanks to Shepard and a ambush from the Normandy crew, they now had 2,789. If given the chance, the quarian and geth reinforcements would be able to crush them. He knew the quarians or geth wouldn't risk orbital bombardment, so he was able to calm down about that. However, if the Normandy crew alone could deplete his force by close to 300 troops, then quarian, geth, turians, Shepard and Tali, and his crew would destroy them.

His squad rapidly edged towards the plaza. This was easy, too easy. Why couldn't he...

Before he could react, the soldier in front of him was lifted up and slammed into a nearby canister. Before he knew what was happening two of his centurions lost their shields to a energy drain before being cut down. Before he knew it, the rest of his squad was cut down by a combat drone. He turned to see a entire quarian company rushing towards him, the females with their omnitools and combat drones out, the males with a vast arrangment of vindicator battle rifles, tempest SMGs, wraith shotguns and viper sniper rifles.

"Squads Nomad, Indigo, Jester, engage quarian company! All other teams, follow me to plaza!" They all follow Etrius past the quarians, while the assigned teams hold off the quarians. As she rounded the corner, he knew he had made a big mistake. He had not only ignored his beeping radar, but ignored the fact that the quarians aren't alone. He was staring down a geth heavy turret, operated by a geth engineer. "You will not be allowed to destroy the creators' home, I will destroy you first." The geth opens fire, completing decimating Riot squad, causing him to fully retreat.

It took nearly all of the front squad was decimated before they finally found cover, but the smell of the rotting bodies was almost overwhelming through the helmets. Turning off his olfactory filters, he looked out to see the turret reloading. He leapt out from cover to take out the operator, but noticed a shimmer infront of him. Knowing what it was, he immediately activated his tech armor, deflecting the shotgun shot and then responded with his own. The distance caused the shields to disintegrate and the bits of armor blew off the geth hunter's chest, its cloak disappearing and falling to the ground.

He looked up too late to see the turret was reloaded, and now flanked by 4 geth troopers, 2 geth pyros and a single geth prime.  _How did the quarians rebuild them so fast?_ The turret opened fire, and he only had enough time to strafe slightly. He cried out in pain as he felt the round impact his right arm, bypassing his tech armor. He fell behind cover and was ready to shout orders at his men before he noticed his right arm completing missing, a bloodied pulp all that remained. A medic rushed to his aid, but he shoved him off, telling him there was no time.

With help, he got up and they continued advancing towards the plaza, along with what was left of the regiment, which wasn't much as 1,000 of his troops were being pinned down by the flanking Normandy crew and the turians, giving what was left of his regiment time to escape. Eventually they erupted into the plaza, spittles of blood occasionally erupt of his severed arm.

He stops as his entire regiment stops at the sight of a quarian engineer, purple in realk and is looking down at her omnitool.  _Tali'Zorah. Heh._ He motioned for his troops to approach her. He was smiling at his proclaimed victory.  _Wait. Where's Shepard? He wouldn't leave her here alone._ It was then that his eyes landed on a little red device in the back of her hood. It took another couple of seconds to realize just what it was.  _Oh shit!_

Etrius only got to shout as Tali exploded, the explosion consuming two squads, and knocking three platoons to the ground, including himself. That wasn't Tali, it was a synthetic, a trap.  _They were expecting us._ Due to their cybernetic implants, the Cerberus troopers quickly recovered and jumped back up in time for the real Tali, followed by Shepard, a salarian, two other quarians and a turian with a sniper rifle to erupt into the square, weapons bared. He smiled.  _Not only is he outnumbered, but he's outgunned._

He then cursed at his own incompetence.  _Fool! This guy killed Kai Leng, decimated armies of geth, destroyed the Collector's and survived a trip through the Omega 4 Relay and then lead the biggest fleet in galactic history to retake Earth from the Reapers. Do not underestimate this bastard!_ He readied his rifle, but shook steadily without the use of his right arm.

He attempted to get up, but was stiff frozen as he saw the Rachni Queen, followed by a horde of rachni behind her. Her minions quickly ripped into their ranks. He tried to get up, but he was shaken back down as a Geth dropship swooped past and bombarded their back ranks. It was all one giant trap.  _Have they been planning this all along?_

He was unable to even stand at all now as the rest of the regiment was surrounded by quarian and geth reinforcements, and soon the Normandy crew and turians.  _Fuck._ He turned to see his regiment continue to fight. He watched as they were all slaughtered, one by one. Soon, he was surrounded by the bodies of his entire regiment. All dead.

He wanted to die, the pain in his arm was nothing but numbness now as he looked into the eyes of Shepard, crouched next to him. "How did Cerberus survive the Crucible?" Shepard asked. Etrius wanted to spit in his face, but he didn't even have the gut to do that. He felt numb all over, like he couldn't or wouldn't. He just lost all will to fight. Instead, he answered, just over a mumble, "Cerberus...Cronos...Crucible failed...we...new implants...rising. Cerberus rising." With that, he picked up his pistol and before anyone could stop him, he raised it to this mouth and pulled the trigger.

Shepard's face was glistened with the brains and gore of the dead soldier as he crumbled to the ground, the entire front of his face blown apart by the force of the M-5 Phalanx Heavy Pistol. He wiped the guts of his face and then looked up at the culmination of dead bodies and the people responsible for their deaths.  _Turians and Rachni in the same area, never thought I'd see the day and quarians and geth all over the place, not to mention my entire crew._ He nodded and everyone dispersed, moving to clear the area of debris.

He turned to the others, Kirrahe already holstering his scorpion pistol. "Why is Cerberus back? Did you glean information from him? If so, why are they here and how did they return?" Shepard sighed. Salarians liked to ask ALOT of questions. "Something about Cronos Station and how they got new implants and that the Crucible failed in killing them all. Cronos can't be their base, we destroyed it."

Tali nodded, she had been there with him when they destroyed the station. Shrugging his shoulders, he began to leave, "We've got alot to discuss. Political meeting comes first, then we talk Cerberus rising." They all nodded and followed him towards the soon to be Quarian and Geth embassy.

Shit was going down, and Shepard would be done there finding out what went with it.

 **Pal'tec vis Surden:** Medallion presented during the Ceremony of Bonding. Literal translation: Symbol of Souls United. Quarians followed a different path, where humans would place a ring upon their bride, a quarian male would present a medallion depicting the future life of the newly bonded pair. Worn on a chain around the neck before the war, they now are carried by every bonded female in a special pocket within their enviro-suits, just above their heart. Usually made from precious metals, the quarians in the fleet now use scrap metals to conserve resources.

 **Tri'guri das gulag** : Term used when referring to idiots and malcontents, or incompotents. Mostly a military term used by quarian generals. Literal Translation: Moronic Little Whiner. Used by ancient quarian generals as their equivalent to a human drill sergeant's insults. Not only does it cause the trainees under their command to work harder, but helps the trainees prove themselves in combat training.

...

**Military Structuring System For Dummies:**

Fireteams/Patrols consist of 4 soldiers and are lead by a NCO (Non-commissioned officer).

Squads consist of 3 Fireteams = 8-13 to soldiers a squad. Squads are lead by Squad leaders, usually staff sergeants, corporals or tech sergeants. This is different for Military Police squads, which is composed of 3 teams of 3 each.

Sections are small military units that are just another name for a squad. In France however, sections serve as the equivalent to platoons (NOTE: Sections are not individual units, they are foreign names for squads and for the french, platoons).

Platoons consist of 4 squads = 26-55 soldiers a platoon. Platoons are also known as "Flights." Platoons/Flights are lead by Platoon leaders/Platoon commanders, usually being lieutenants. These are assisted by a NCO, a Platoon sergeant.

Companies consist of 3-5 Platoons = 80-225 soldiers a company. Companies consisting of only mobile artillery and their operators are called Batteries. Long ago, human cavalry companies, which are unheard of now, were called Troops. Companies are lead by a Captain, Major or Commandant.

Battalions consist of 2-7 Companies = 300-1,300 soldiers a battalion. Long ago, human cavalry battalions, which are unheard of now, were called squadrons. Battalions are lead by a Lieutenant Colonel or Colonel.

The Number of Battalions in Regiments varies depending on country. In some countries, Regiments are lesser than Battalions, and in others, Regiments are bigger than divisions. In the Alliance, Regiments consist of 5 Battalions = 3,000-5,000 soldiers a regiment. A variant of a Regiment, called a Brigade, contains 6 Battalions, being slightly bigger than regiments. Another name for Regiments is a Group. Regiments are usually lead by a Colonel or a Brigadier General.

Divisions consist of 2-several Regiments = 10,000-15,000 soldiers a division. Divisions are usually lead by a Major General.

Corps' consist of 2 Divisions = 20,000-45,000 soldiers a Corps. Corps' are usually lead by a Lieutenant General.

Field Armies consist of 2 Corps' = 80,000-200,000 soldiers a Army. Armies are usually lead by a General.

Army Groups consist of 5 Field Armies = 400,000-1,000,000 soldiers a Army Group. Army Groups are usually lead by a General, General of the Army, or a Field Marshall.

Army Regions consist of 3 Army Groups = 1,000,000-3,000,000 soldiers a Army Region. Army Regions are usually lead by a General, General of the Army, or a Field Marshall.

Army Theaters consist of 2 Army Regions = 3,000,000-10,000,000 soldiers a Army Theater. Army Theaters are usually lead by a Field Marshall or Supreme Commander.

So, I thought I'd slap that in. I might add these to the end of every chapter. This one dealt with the army, I'll do one on the Navy next. Nothing like increasing your military knowledge!

"I'm an excellent judge of character. I think you'll find my assessments to be right on the money."

\- Miranda.


	26. A Secret Project

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The quarians and geth rejoin the galactic community. Shepard and Tali begin work on their new house.

_**A Secret Project** _

"So we are agreed? The Quarians and the Geth agree to become part of the Citadel community once more?" Tevos asked. Sparatus stood mumbling to himself about suit rats and Valern just stared intently at Shepard, who was smiling his head off. The Admiralty and Legion nodded. "And the Rachni and Krogan promise to uphold their part of the bargain?" Sparatus asked, bluntly. He still didn't trust the Quarians or Geth, but letting two centuries old enemies onto their council was unacceptable.

"Yes Councilor, we are not as uncivilized as you may think. As for the Rachni..." Wrex said proudly before turning to the Rachni Queen. "My children promise to uphold the bargain. We will offer all assistance in any resoluting any conflicts that may occur." Tevos nodded. "Now we must elect our councilors, the representatives of your species'. The Rachni Queen will represent the Rachni, but who will represent all others?" Shepard watched it all played out. Osoba seemed to be playing it nice, just laying back and letting things proceed. He was surprised when only the Quarians, Geth, Rachni and Krogan were allowed a seat on the Council. The Quarians had finally accepted the seat too.

"I will represent the Krogan Confederacy, helping to rebuild the future the Krogan once hoped to accomplish, but this time without the blood of our galactic brethren getting spilt and without conflict." The Shaman stood up. Wrex nodded. Grunt just wasn't political material and he was needed as the head of the Confederacy on Tuchanka. Tevos was impressed by the Krogan's words, it was almost as if the Krogan forgot they had once been monsters.

"Shaman, you are welcomed as the new councilor. Of course the votes will need to be tallied by your people, but we welcome you nonetheless. We cannot call you Councilor Shaman, so what do we call you?" Shaman stood up next to a unflinching Osoba and said, My original name before becoming Shaman was Urdnot Kleg." Tevos nodded, but Valern spoke up, "Then Councilor Kleg it is, now, what of the Quarian and Geth candidates?"

Taigan spoke up, "As leader of the Quarian Republic, I have tallied the votes of the Quarian Republican Senate and the Geth Consensus, and we have nominated Shala'Raan to become councilor...officially." Shepard looked at Shala to find both her and Garu just frozen. It took Tevos speaking up to break her out of her trance, "Councilor Raan, please step forward and take your podium so we may continue." Shala shook out of her trance, tapped visors with Garu and let go of his hand, standing up to her podium, smiling down at Tali, Shepard and Garu.

"Tevos-Councilor, I, Legion of the Geth Consensus has finished building consensus, and we nominate Ambassador, formally known as Bravo, to step forward and take his position." Shepard's eyes opened wide.  _Ambassador? I thought he was dead when we fired the Crucible or Xen killed him! I wonder if Romeo has been rebuilt._ Ambassador wasted no time in standing up next to Raan.  _Councilor Ambassador, I think Councilor Bravo sounds better._

Tevos smiled, "Now that we are done, I pass this meeting's conclusion to Councilor Raan."  _Let the new people get a taste of what's yet to come._ Shala was bewildered, but didn't hesitate, "This meeting is adjourned." The newly founded Council and its new members left their podiums, disappearing. Garu followed quickly behind and Shepard chuckled.  _The Council will have to deal with him alot._ By the time the crew dispersed, the Quarian plaza was left empty, all except Primarch Victus and Kirrahe, who quickly approached him. Tali whispered in his ear, "You talk to them, I'll go prepare Veetor and Elan's apartment for the Week of Seclusion." He smiled, kissing her visor before she left.

Turning he shook the hands of both the salarian and turian. "Primarch Victus, what a pleasant surprise." Shepard as he finished shaking the Primarch's hand. Victus smiled, "Yes indeed Captain, I wasn't expecting to see you again after the retake of Earth, but here we are. I came here quickly to deal with this meeting so I could return to Palaven and rebuild the Turian Hierarchy from the ground up. So many losses, our colonies need rebuilding, our fleets need rebuilding, the military needs rebuilding, everything needs rebuilding. Our whole empire."

"We goes up must come down." Shepard said. Victus raised an eyebrow, or did he? Damn Turians, you can never tell with their scaly bodies. Shepard thought it was confusion anyway so he answered, "It was a old human saying. Back on Earth, Empire's never stayed in power for long. The Persians, the French under Napoleon, the Germans under Hitler, the Romans, the holy romans, the Byzantines, the Mongols, Austria-Hungarians, Egyptians, The Macedonians etc, they all had empires that always collapsed eventually and never were indefinite. So its like I said, what rises up, must eventually fall."

"You humans are very wise. People say humanity are still learners in this galaxy, but it looks like we could learn alot from your people as well." Kirrahe stated. Shepard chuckled, turning to him, "The Quarians are already learning fast. I've seen quite a few handshakes going around, Shala slapped me, a few quarians swearing in english rather than their native tongue, and Gerrel recites human war poems and generals. I even heard him saying at one point, 'As a ruler, men worry more about what they can't see then what they can.'"

"Who said that in your times?" Victus asked. He was eager to learn about human history. "General Julius Caesar, he lived during the times that the Romans were just a Republic. He got assassinated by another roman vieing for power named Brutus. He was a brilliant general, very skilled at warfare. Of course there is a range of those; Napoleon, Rommel, Stalin, Churchhill, Genghis Khan, Alexander the Great, Ramses III, King Leonidas of Sparta etc." Victus nodded in impresson while Kirrahe just shrugged.

Turning to Kirrahe he said, "So...Kirrahe, what's the status on Sur'Kesh, I heard the Reapers haven't even hit them." Kirrahe nodded, "Reapers completely ignored Sur'Kesh, only attack we got was from Cerberus, and with your help captain, we easily repelled that attack, and that base has been so far, repaired."

"That's excellent. So what are you two going to be doing now?" Victus straightened up, while Kirrahe crossed his arms. Victus spoke first, "Like I said, I'm Primarch of the Turian Hierarchy, so I am expected to return to Palaven to continue the reconstruction efforts. It will take years, maybe decades, before Palaven is back to its original state, but we can do it. Even the Krogan left there are helping us out."

Kirrahe moved on, "I'll be returning to Sur'Kesh to take command of the 26th Stealth Battalion and help as a trainer. However, I have as much time as I want to delay so if I may Captain Shepard, I'd like to join your crew. I have already petitioned for it with STG High Command, and they have approved of the transfer. I am waiting for your approval."

A salarian to add to the team. It would constantly remind him how much he missed Mordin, but at least Kirrahe would fit in well. However, that was indeed the only problem. "I would gladly have you on my crew Kirrahe, the only problem is...the Normandy was...hijacked by the Blue Suns during our pursuit of Vido and EDI was forced to destroy it. Were shipless, needless to say."

Kirrahe nodded solemnly and Victus had a empathetic look in his eyes. "I'm truly sorry to hear that Captain, but I will join your current crew nonetheless, there is nowhere else I don't belong at this very moment. We must destroy Cerberus once and for all, and I wish to be there when we do it." Shepard nodded and Kirrahe left. Victus stood closer to Shepard and said, "Rumor has it you are bonded to that quarian, Tali'Zorah. Is this true?" At first Shepard was surprised, but then he realized he hadn't known Victus for very long, as he only met him on Menae during the Reaper invasion of Palaven, and he hadn't reunited with Tali then so of course he didn't know.

"Yes. We both love each other deeply and I would sacrifice everything to make sure she is safe. Do you have...objections about it Primarch?" Victus nodded, but he had a smile on his face. "Yes I do. Your a lucky bastard to get a quarian to fall for you, let alone a female, they are hardass sons of bitches to persuade, but I guess I can't blame them. May I ask, what does she look like? Is she turian looking? Salarian? Reptillian? Or maybe the rumors are true and she's a...cyborg!" Shepard laughed out loudly, catching the attention of a few angry quarians nearby. Lowering his tone he answered, "First off, it's Tali'Shepard, were married. Second, None of the above. I'm the only one to know what her face looks like and I'm not telling a soul. All you'll get to know is that she is...more human than you like to think."

Victus looked bewildered as Shepard turned and walked off, saying goodbye to the confused Primarch as he went. Now that all these political meetings, bonding ceremonies and Cerberus assaults were over, he could now get down to doing what he wanted to do. Keying his omnitool, he sent a message for Garrus, Tali, Legion, and numerous geth platforms to meet him on northern plane outside the city. They all awknowledged, stating they were on their way.

It took about 20 minutes before he finally reached the northern plane, and by that time, Legion and the geth were already there, and Garrus and Tali right behind him. Once there, Garrus asked, "What's this all about?" Shepard smiled and turned to Garrus, "Time to begin Operation: BTAHGOIKYA." Garrus gave the thumbs up, wearily, he really didn't like the abbreivation of that jumble of words, and Legion and the geth began picking up materials and heading towards the outskirts, Garrus helping while Shepard and Tali followed behind them, hand in hand.

_Operation: Build Tali A House Garrus Or I'll Kick Your Ass has begun._

...

"What the fuck do you exactly mean when you say 'Lithios has dropped out of contact?'" Hawk asked as calmly as he could. If even Etrius failed his mission, he would have his head for it. Hellion unflinchingly answered, "Exactly what I said sir. The Lithios dropped out of contact just over an hour ago. 20 minutes after that, Romulus Regiment Delta dropped out of contact. We received imagery from the Lithios and Moreh, and it doesn't look good."

Hawk took another swig of his coffee. After gulping it down he sighed and said, "Give me the details." Hellion nodded and brought the imagery up on his datapad, giving it to Hawk. Hawk scanned the pad over while Hellion explained, "Lithios was destroyed by a half constructed quarian orbital defense gun that had the ability to see through its stealth system. We don't know how the quarians got their hands on this technology but..." Hawk rolled his eyes and said, "Their allied with the Alliance dumbass. You exchange technology when in a Alliance, and guess who came up with the Stealth system? THE ALLIANCE!"

Ignoring his boss' outburst, Hellion continued, "...but we now know. Etrius reported to be heading towards the city's plaza for evac with the Moreh. Moreh broke off after detecting numerous turian, rachni, geth, quarian and normandy forces converging all around Etrius' regiment..." Hawk fired a look at Hellion. "What? Turians I can understand, but Rachni? What is Shepard up too?" He said that last line to noone but himself. "We have no idea sir I was..." Hawk rolled his eyes again, "It was a rhetorical question you idiot! I wasn't asking you, it was a self ponder! Now get me a connection with Xen and then leave before you say something else that makes you look like a moron."

Hellion nodded and calmly and set up the link before leaving. Hawk, turning back to his screen, eagerly awaited Xen's face to appear on screen, she had alot of answering to do. Finally, her face appeared on screen. "MORPH! WHY, is it that my men, Etrius' men, are now dead? And why didn't you pick them up when they needed it?" Xen gulped before answering, "The area was too hot, we had too..." Hawk's face contorted in rage, "TOO HOT!? YOUR SHIP IS A CRUISER FOR GODSAKE! THEIR ATTACKS WOULD HAVE BEEN PEBBLE THROWING!" Yes Hawk was angry, angry at Xen's stupidity. Xen was an Admiral, she should know more about naval warfare then he does. Yet she doesn't.

"That wasn't the problem. That 'aging warship' was." Hawk wasn't catching on.  _Aging Warship?"_ Seeing this, Xen continued, "Han'Gerrel was the problem. In case you hadn't noticed Hawk, he is in command of the entire quarian military, including the armed response fleet. My cruiser wouldn't stand a chance against the full might of a geth and quarian fleet, lead by a quarian dreadnought. Escape would also be impossible, as the sheer numbers our fleet could easily blockade the Tikkun Relay."

Hawk pondered this. She has a point but still that didn't change facts. She was a coward, keeping her own ass safe is the only thing that mattered to her.  _Exactly like I expected from a quarian. Always running away from the fight._ "Very well Morph, but your information better continue to hold up. Etrius and his regiment were some of my best men, I'm not willing to send anymore in until your information is up to scratch. And I swear, if its wrong again, you will wish you never partnered with us. Understand?"

Xen nodded calmly again, too calmly. Like she had something to hide. He disconnected the call and turned back to the datapad. Shifting its contents, he began to look at the schematics for a brand new weapon.  _When this baby is complete, Shepard will never know what hit him._

...

Garrus groaned once again. "Come on Shepard, just one break?" Shepard gave an irritated sigh and looked down. Garrus was put in charge, allow with him, of doing the heavy lifting and placing down the main foundations. Tali was in charge of making sure everything was set right and had electricity while Legion and his geth counterparts helped with both. This house was coming along well, and they'd only started 2 hours ago. Garrus' groaning didn't help of course.

He chuckled, "Come on Garrus, your not tired already are you? Were only just getting started!" Garrus rolled his eyes, "I'm thirsty though." Shepard shook his head and Garrus reluctantly returned to his work. Shepard chuckled and keyed his dedicated channel, "Turian my ass. Garrus is groaning like a kid going to the dentist." Tali's giggles were all that answered before he switched channels again. Picking up another piece of brick, he slapped it down on the bricky paste, hard. He reached for another one but didn't get far when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"John, could I speak with you?" Shepard turned around to see Shala on the ground behind him, eagerly looking at him. It took him a few seconds before he nodded. He jumped down from the ladder onto the ground and keyed Tali's channel, "Tali, Shala's here. Wants to speak with me, I'll be right back." He disconnected the channel. He knew Tali knew he didn't need an answer. He quickly approached Shala, stopping right in front of her.

"Yes Shala? I thought you'd be with the Council heading for the Citadel by now." Shala nodded, but Shepard immediately recognized his mistake and addressed apprioately, "I mean, Councilor Raan." Shala laughed, shaking her head. "Don't fret John, I never knew you to be formal among family members. You can just call me Shala when not around those Councilors. If they find out I'm now technically your aunt, well, they might think I'll favor you if you commit treason again." They both laughed.

"I gather you didn't come all this way just to tell me you won't exonerate me during trials even if I am family." Shala nodded, "Yes, is Tali close?" Shepard turned around, "No. I can get her if you want, she's coordinating with Legion about flowing power into our house." Shala held up her hands and shook her head. "No, that will not be nessacary John. This is not for Tali's ears anyway." she then noticed a certain turian eavesdropping and added, "Or for any certain nosy turians either..." Shepard turned around to see Garrus watching them. Hearing 'Nosy turian', he looked at Shepard and gave a sheepish grin.

"Back...to...work. Trust me, you think I'm bad, if Tali finds out your slacking, she'll have your head. Literally." Hearing those intimidating words, he immediately returned to work. Shepard knew that apart from losing his family and Tali herself, Tali's shotgun scared him the most. He couldn't help but laugh inside at that. Turning back to Shala, he nodded and motioned for her to move outside the frontyard, and they pasted the fence, which they had set up first. Garrus rolled his eyes.  _I hate secrets. I'll get him back._

Shala crossed her arms. Shepard instantly became worried.  _Uh-oh. She's called me away from Tali so she can't come to my rescue. I think Shala is going to be very pissed off. But about what?_ Shala saw his look and laughed, "I'm not here to kill you Shepard. If I was worried about Tali's safety, I would have brought an entire fleet to deal with you. Everything you touch would explode." Shepard chuckled.

Shala continued, "You are indeed correct. I was supposed to be heading out to the Citadel, but I let them leave first and I promised I'd follow on the Tonbay. I will most likely gone for a very long time. Garu will be coming with me for reasons you know. I just wanted to say something before I go." Shala walked forward and said coldly, "Those bosh'tets dare try to touch or indoctrinate Tali again, you kill the assholes quickly, Cerberus will be destroyed, and you have every reason to be the primordial of it." Shepard was shocked. First Tali, now Shala. How many more quarians would give into human curse words?

"You can be assured that noone will get within an inch of Tali...or Rael. I love them both equally, and no harm will ever come to them as long as I'm breathing." Shala nodded, satisfied, "About Rael. He's been givin a decade's worth of medication for his speed aging and is scheduled to be dropped off here in little under an hour. Gerrel just can't deal with him anymore and I think Malra is just about to lose it. You know what that tilgrap is like."

Shepard chuckled, patting Shala's shoulder, "Believe me Shala, I do. Good luck with that Councilor thing. I hope we get to see each other sometime in some kind of family reunion. My mother's been eager to speak with you. She's quite fond of you, being an admiral and all. You and Garu take care." Shala nodded and bowed, in which Shepard quickly followed suit. "I hope the Ancestors continue to watch over us all. Keelah Se'lai, John." Shala then walked off, reentering her shuttle before the doors closed and it took off, speeding into Rannoch's atmosphere. He had to say, he was going to miss Shala, and Garu. But they would meet again, in due time.

Shepard headed back to the house in which he spotted Garrus being...attacked by Tali. The sight was amusing. Tali was glaring down a very petrified Garrus, who looked like he was ready to shit himself.  _What has he done this time._ Tali's shouts answered this for him. "YOU LITTLE IGRA GARRUS! IF YOU DARE DO THAT I WILL TURN YOUR SNIPER RIFLE, INTO A BLINDFOLD! FOR YOU!" Shepard had to resolve this. " _Saera,_ what's wrong?"

Tali looked at him in anger and was close to slapping him. "DON'T SAERA ME! WHAT ON RANNOCH IS THIS!" She shoved a magazine into his face. He took the magazine and only now did he realize what it was. A Fornax Magazine, with a picture of what was meant to be...Now it dawned on him. The picture was of a quarian female in a purple realk with her suit wide open, her breasts hanging out and seductively swaying her hips. Her right arm held her hips while her left hand seductively motioning to the reader, her index finger flexing backwards and forwards. The Quarian's eyes were overly done, a see through mask. The quarian winked at the reader. Not only were her breasts hanging out but her...the area inbetween her legs was clearly visible. On right of the page read "Quarian Lover". He recognized the quarian. It was meant to be Tali.

Now he knew why she was pissed off, I would be too if my body was used in a porn magazine to create fantasies in some weirdo. Why she was pissed off at him though was beyond him. He never read Fornax, well, he had Tali. It would be considered cheating. "It's you...but why..." Tali rolled her eyes and took the magazine out of his hands, ripping it in half. "SHEPARD YOU PERVERT! SECRETLY LOOKING AT PORN BEHIND MY BACK! ESPECIALLY ONE WITH ME! ME! ON THE FRONT COVER!"

She slapped him, a red mark left on his left cheek. He rubbed it and then turned to Tali in confusion. "What!? Tali I've never read a porn magazine in my entire life! I've never seen one a matter of fact until you threw this one in my face! I'm disgusted by those...things," he said, motioning to the remnants of the magazine, victimised by the outraged quarian female, "You of all people should know that Tali!" Tali seemed to have calmed down, but she wasn't done, "Then how come I found it in your personal duffel bag! Don't deny that, I found it there when I was unpacking!"

"Duffel bag!? But I..." Then it hit him. He knew who did it, he was framing him, as some kind of little prank. "Oh he's crossed the line this time..." Garrus got up and held his hands up in innocence, "I've never read porn in my entire life. I'm innocent. But, who has crossed the line?" Shepard looked up and then back down at both of them. "This is a prank. And who else would prank me other than a certain pilot?" Garrus shook his head in realization and then Tali's face flared up again. "That...little...BOSH'TET!"

Tali stormed right past them and before any of them could do anything, she was in the Mako and racing down the highway. Garrus and Shepard just watched as she went. They both looked at each other and thought the same thing.  _He's doomed._ They both chuckled as they returned to the house and continued their work. Climbing up the ladder, Shepard was about to begin work again when he heard a shuttle land nearby. Turning he heard only one thing before the ladder began shaking. "Daddy! Daddy! Where's mummy?"

Rael had arrived.  _Oh hell._

...

"Jeff, you have a very...angry visitor." EDI announced, forcing Joker to wake up. Releasing EDI's embrace, he looked at the door, "What do you mean angry visitor?" Joker was worried.  _Don't tell me Tali found out...I didn't mean to get Shepard in trouble..._ If he caused Tali and Shepard to break up because of this, he would kill himself.  _Wait...didn't quarians say they bond for life? So technically, they can't break up. Damn quarian marriages, so confusing. Why didn't they just get married the good old human way._

"Exactly what I said, Jeff." Joker rolled his eyes.  _Well aren't you helpful._ Getting up, Joker slowly approached the door. He could hear banging. Then he heard a VERY familiar voice. "OPEN UP YOU IGRA! YOU DET KUZUAT! YOU HRARXA! YOU OPARQIIT! OPEN UP OR I'LL MAKE MYSELF WELCOME!" Joker was literally crapping himself.  _I don't even know what those words mean! Oh shit, I'm really in deep shit. What have I done._

Taking a deep breath, he opened the door. Almost immediately he was lifted off the ground by Tali, hanging by his collar. She was absolutely pissed. "WHAT'S THE MEANING OF THIS! You frame my lifemate using a porn magazine as some kind of prank!? I have only ONE warning for you Joker..."

"EDI, help me! She's crazy!" Joker said, looking towards EDI for support. EDI laughed, "No Jeff, your on your own on this one." Joker cursed. "Ye...Yes?" Joker said as he turned back to a very annoyed lifemate. Tali nodded, "Play a prank like that again, and you won't only be eating your own porn magazine, but I will personally break your legs myself." Tali gently placed Joker on the ground. She may be pissed off, but she knew Joker's legs were still pretty fragile. Joker laughed, "You still care?"

Tali shot him a glare and he instantly retreated behind EDI. Tali gave a mocking smile, "Please Joker, I'm a combat engineer. I can disable synthetics with my eyes closed." Tali then left saying as she went, "No offense EDI." EDI laughed. Joker still found that strange, EDI may be gaining sentience quickly, but she picked up on emotions pretty quickly. "Joker, how the hell are you laughing?"

EDI looked down at him and smiled, "Another time Jeff." Joker just shrugged as they lay back on the mattress, awaiting the arrival of the Alliance shuttle. Tali continued to smirk as she walked down the corridor back down to her Mako.  _I wonder why Shala wanted to see John. Hmmmm...maybe I can find out later._

She just shrugged as she continued down the corridor and entered her Mako.

 **Bosh'tet:** Thought by many non-quarians to be the quarian equivalent of "son of a bitch" or "bastard." Surprisingly, it is actually the name of a animal native to Rannoch, similiar to Earth rats. It is a rodent to lives my scavenging, but has a very low intelligence, is quite irritating and lazy. It eats the excrement of other animals, using what's let of it as a home and the undigested bits as sustenance. It will eat any dung, even its own. It will defend its dung pile at any cost, even its own kind, and has been known to fight to the death. Quarians used it as a curse word for people who are being stupid, unresponsive, irritating or fighting for a worthless cause or reason.

 **Tilgrap:** Large herbivore, native to Rannoch. Tilgrap, alpha female of the pack. Tilgra refers to the other members of the pack, both male and female. Moving in packs, the tilgrap uses snarling and huffing to force the pack to move where she decided to lead them.

 **Igra:** Term of curse word used to describe people who like violating people unwillingly. Literal Translation: Pervert. Although quarian perverts are extremely rare, it is still possible.

 **Saera:** Term used when speaking to one's lifemate. Literal translation: My soul's soul. Other meanings include, but are not limited to: Keeper of my soul and My soul's protector. Most commonly used word throughout the fleet by a quarian when speaking privately to their lifemate. Though unconfirmed by any quarian, there are implications that this word holds extreme intimacy as well as absolute trust. No single human word or phrase encompassed all that this one short word implies as it appears to contain both dominance and submissive traits.

 **Det Kazuat:** Term of curse, considered especially crude. Literal Translation: Living sack of excrement. The Otquer, a large predatory lizard, will pass its meal neatly wrapped in a membranous tissue. Inside the sack, the enzymes used to break down the meat of the prey while still in the lizard continue to act as a stimulant keeping the indigestible brain synapses of its last meal still working until the sun dries the sack out.

 **Hrarxa:** Term used to describe anything that affects a clan negatively. Literal translation: Insult to my clan's honor. Insulting a clan's honor is considered an insult to every clan member. In ancient times it was enough to cause a war. 3000 years ago, the word was used as the quarian's way of instigating a battle.

 **Oparqiit:** Term used to define relationships with other clans. Literal translation: Ignored ones. Its meaning is clear, no interaction, no speaking and more importantly, no assistance will be given to the clan under this naming. Any cooperation that was present before is now ceased, any work requested is ignored. Even calls for help will remain unheard until the offended Clan is appeased. A simple 'I am sorry' would not be sufficient as the honor of a clan was questioned.

**Joker can be such a dick sometimes. This is where he shines, and I thought I'd do this just to give his namesake some justice, you know?**

**Thanks for reading. I'm hoping Chapter 26 will be out just as soon!**

"When this is all over, you can tell me which one of us is the machine."

\- Cortana


	27. Krogan and Children

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chief gets used to his new universe. Shepard and Tali contend with the media. Xen plans.

_**Krogan and Children** _

"John, if you keep jumping like this, the entire cliffface will collapse." Cortana stated, but her words fell on deaf ears. Chief had decided to do some rock climbing, just to pass the time. There was no returning back to the time period he lived in. Besides, the Covenant had been defeated, they didn't need him anymore. Didact was dead. As far as he was concerned anyway, the UNSC believed he was defunct.

"I've got this Cortana, stop your whining." He reached out for another handhold, and clasped his hand around it. He lifted up and continued his rapid pace. Within no time, he was at the top of the cliffface, and had a perfect view over Unastali and the entire landscape. It was a sight to behold. Even Earth had nothing on Rannoch.  _Even though Earth is nothing but an overindustrialised, overpopulated ball of crap these days. At least that's what Shepard said. I'll take his word for it._

Chief kinda preferred this universe. In his universe, where conflict was almost constant and never stopped, their was nothing but impending doom waiting on everyone's doorstep, giant ring-shaped holocaust machines and humanity had barely colonized a quarter of the known galaxy. While in this universe, that was the exact opposite. Conflict still occured here and there, but it wasn't constant. Not all the aliens hated humanity (*cough* batarians *cough*), and most preferred peaceful coexistence instead of trying to slit our throats. No, this universe was much more peaceful, and that is why he preferred. Most UNSC marines would have seen him as a sociopathic, emotionless machine, who's only purpose was to kill anything he was ordered too ruthlessly. But Cortana opened his eyes, allowed him to see the variables, and now he only wants peace.

 _And Now I have it. Now I-_ "Damn it Chief, you climb to fast!" Chief's thoughts were interrupted as James shouted out. Chief looked down to see James 5 meters below and even further behind him, just 2 meters across and down, Ashley. He smiled, these guys were tough, but they weren't Spartans, they didn't have the augmentations he had. "Come on, slow pokes. I'm getting tired of waiting." Chief shouted back before looking back over Rannoch's landscape. Only now did he recognize the tiny house that rested near the ruins of the dead Reaper Destroyer, half constructed. Using his optical zoom, he could see the familiar forms of Shepard and Garrus working hard and a Mako fast approaching.

What confused him was the little child manhandling Shepard, distracting him constantly, which looked like it was building up irritation in the war hero. That child must be his son. He laughed before switching off his optical zoom and was about to shout at James to hurry up when a ancient voice spoke behind him, "I never saw why you humans seem to enjoy danger." Javik stood firmly behind Chief and his eyes followed James as he climbed up onto the clifftop that Chief now stood on. Ashley was 2 meters behind. Chief turned to the prothean, his eyes looking into his thick ego of a skull.

"It's because we have the thrill to do something with our lives instead of walking around with our chests heaved out like were important. Just because your Prothean, doesn't make you special. Didact was more impressive than you." Chief turned to give Ashley a hand in getting up, which he overdrasticated, as she flew into the ground, grunting. Chief gave a quick apology before the prothean spoke up again, "You humans are completely hypocritical. You say I walk around with an ego, when the first thing you did when you joined this...community, was brag about your superiority." Chief chuckled, "I seem to remember EDI telling me the Protheans subjugated the whole galaxy and ran around enforcing their 'superiority'. Besides Prothean, we humans are still plentiful in numbers. Your in the VAST minority, I mean, your the last of your race."

With that, Javik let out an irritated growl before leaving. Ash watched as he went, waiting for the prothean to leave before she spoke, "Serves that asshole right, I swear he acts like he runs the place. Even then, Shepard appeases him. It's only when he starts insulting quarians or Tali that he goes all apeshit on the prick." All three of the humans nod in agreement, just watching the horizon. The moment is only interrupted when Chief's visor begins beeping with an incoming communication.

"Play it Cortana." Cortana awknowledges, and opens the transmission. "Chief, it's Liara. Do you know where John is?" Chief shrugged, "Where do you think? He's building his house on the outskirts, north of the city. I thought it would have been a better idea to contact Tali or Garrus. Their the ones who would truly know where he is, its not like I follow him around like a pet." Liara rolled her eyes, "I've tried to contact Tali and Garrus, but their not picking up. I haven't contacted John directly because he never even wears his omnitool anymore, which I can't blame him for. Thanks anyway. I've got to warn him about Diana Allers and Khalisah Bint-Sinan Al Jilani, their looking for him."

Chief chuckled as Liara disconnected. Ash and James looked towards Chief expectingly, "So, what did Liara want?" Chief looked at both of them before replying, "Two reporters want all over Shepard. I told Liara where he was so she could warn him. I'd be warning the reporters though." James and Ash gave Chief awkward, confused looks. "Why the reporters?"

Chief smiled, "Cause if I heard about quarian bonding the right way, they'll take flirting as a move to take their partner. The reporters will most likely try to flirt with Shepard and with Tali nearby, that's a health hazard." They all broke out laughing as they imagined Tali attacking the defenseless reporters. Priceless. They stopped laughing two seconds later and continued to look at the horizon before Ash gave out a heavy sigh. "Well, duty calls for me. The Council stated I'll be needed at the press conference on the Citadel to monitor the security detail assigned to them. I don't like leaving with Cerberus on the prowl, but I'm a Spectre, I've got orders to follow. I'll see you around. Keep the drinks cold." Ash shook their hands before leaving.

James and Chief followed behind her, deciding to head back into the city. They said a final goodbye as Ashley entered her shuttle and took off, the shuttle disappearing into the clear blue skies of Rannoch.  _This planet looks TOO much like Earth. I'm starting to prefer it._ This planet reminded him of what Earth used to look like, a beautiful planet full of life. Now its just a overpopulated, industrialized factory with a population of 11.4 Billion.

Chief sighed as James patted him on the shoulder, "I'm going to join the others. Things are probably getting tense with Cerberus' return. See you around." James then left, leaving Chief alone on the street. Chief took one look at the congregation of quarians all around. All talking to each other peacefully, not talking down the barrel of a gun. For the first time in nearly 29 years, Chief smiled. Turning he began to walk away.

An era of peace truly had begun.

...

Tali smiled as she drove down the dirt road, her Mako bumping up and down as she drove over jagged rocks and ran over the plantations. She passed a few bosh'tets and even came across a pack of tilgra, which with the urging of the tilgrap of the pack, moved out of the way. She was very keen on running over the bosh'tets, as those annoying animals really did need to be ridded of. Vermin, nothing else, nothing more.

As she came over the hill, she caught sight of their house.  _Their. Their. I really like that word._ She smiled even wider as the Mako came to a stop in front of the house. As she stepped out of the driver's seat, she set the breaks and stepped out of the Driver's compartment, heading for the exit hatch. As her left finger glided over the button and the door opened, she stopped frozen at the sight before her. Shepard force feeding Rael pills.

"Rael! Listen to me! You need to have these or your going to get very sick!" Shepard shouted, trying to get the rebellious child to stop squirming. Tali tried to stiffle a laugh as she approached the pair. She knew she should be curious of why Rael was there to start with, but this sight was hilarious. As she stopped next to them, she continued to watch Shepard trying to reason with the child. It was pointless; Rael was too young to see reason. To differate right and wrong.

She cleared her throat in a attention gathering attempt, which seemed to work, as Shepard looked at her and jumped up, letting go of Rael. Rael saw Tali and immediately ran forward, wrapping his arms around her left leg. "Mummy! Why did daddy try to make me eat white food?" Tali lay her hand on Rael's head and then immediately looked at Shepard. "Yes John, why?" Tali said, crossing her arms. Rael just looked at Shepard with a "I win" face. Shepard groaned.  _The next 16 years of my life. Hell. Damn it. Why Tali did I let you convince me to have a child?_

"Tali, he needs those pills. You know that. Without them, he's going to just get older and older. Do you want to wake up the next morning to a 25 year old?" Shepard asked. Tali froze. That's why. She thought she recognized the pills, but needed confirmation. Tali just put her hands on her hips, "And is force feeding really the best way to send that message across John?"

Shepard sighed in defeat. No it really wasn't. The only message it was sending is that Rael was being food poisoned by a arrogant, military war hero of a father. "Tali I'm not a family man. I'm a Shepard, were born as warriors. Our entire history was war. My great, great, great, great grandparents fought in the Second American Civil War of 2092 and witnessed the Statue of Liberty fall to the Freedom fighters. My dad fought in the first contact war, and my mother is an Admiral. And me? I'm a Council Spectre, Alliance Navy Captain, N7 Commando and fought during the Battle of Elysium. And you Tali?" Tali looked up.  _Me? What has his...oh, that's right. Were bonded and I'm part of his clan so that makes me a Shepard now. The first Shepard engineer I'll guess._ "Yes I'm a Shepard now. The first that isn't a warrior, and as long as I'm Rael's mother, Rael will be like me too. No more warriors John, you've done your service, so please, don't turn our children into soldiers."

Shepard stepped forward and tapped his forehead with her visor. "I promise I won't." Tali looked up at him, "No more war, no more fighting, no more allegiance to the Marines or the Alliance. Just one, happy family. Like mine should have been. And you have to promise me that you won't be the father mine was. Please promise you'll be better than that." Shepard looked into her eyes. They wanted so much to hear his words, to hear that he'd promise to be the best father he could. It was a big promise to make, for someone like him. Shepard knew nothing but war before he met Julia on Elysium, and when he met her and knew what love truly was. It was only after her death that he knew the consequences of war. Now he was bonded to Tali, and now he had a family to look after. Now he had to change his lifestyle.

 _If there's a time to choose a better lifestyle, to be a bigger man, it's now._ He wrapped Tali in a hug, causing Rael to step back in confusion. Whispering in her ear he said, " _Uqualis Trik Tali."_  He knew he must have said it right as Tali held him tighter. They finally broke the hug and Tali stated, "Back on topic now...you're a terrible parent. Observe." Shepard crossed his arms mockingly as Tali crouched and opened up her arms to Rael, inviting him into her arms. He immediately ran into them and Tali lifted him up and held him up, whispering in his ear, "Be a good boy and listen to mummy when I say take your pills. It will make you big and strong." Tali's voice was so kind, so soft, that it would have worked like a charm on someone like Shepard.

Rael nodded and as Tali retrieved the pills from Shepard, she held them up. Rael took them and swallowed them. She smiled and put Rael on the ground, pointing to Garrus. "Me and Daddy are going to have a little talk. Why don't you go and play with Uncle Garrus?" Rael didn't move for a second. "Where's Grandma Shala and Grandpa Garu?" Tali's eyes turned to slits in irritation. Shepard answered first, "She's gone for a little trip, Rael. She will be back soon." Rael nodded and ran over to Garrus, who was waiting.

Tali turned to Shepard, "She's going on a little trip,' what's going on John?" Shepard held up his hands in innocence, "It's okay, she's part of the Council and simply had to go to the Citadel. It's no biggy." Tali nodded and was about to walk off when Shepard stopped her, arm on her shoulder, "Tali, you do realize we can't settle down yet." Tali turned to Shepard in confusion. "Why not? We've earned the right! Don't tell me Hackett wants you to become an Admiral! I'll have a word with him myself! We defeated the Reapers, that was no small task. We've earned the right to rest, we've earned the right to just sit down and hold each other."

Shepard shook his head, "It's not that Tali. Hackett did want me to become Admiral, but that was long before I reunited with you, and I've long rejected it. No, its Cerberus. Tali, Rael isn't safe around us." Tali nodded solemnly. Shepard continued, "Cerberus obviously has the intention of killing us and if they decide to raid this home and they kill Rael...I...I can't live with that. No rest until Cerberus is destroyed, I'm sorry." Tali was disappointed. She had long waited for this moment, now it would have to be delayed slightly longer. But if that meant that peace could be longer lived, then she would gladly accept that.

Shepard wrapped his arms around her and they embraced. This was a moment that the both of them would rarely get after Cerberus' defeat, as Tali wanted alot of children, and their priorities would involve tending to their family. Shepard would have to find a job on Rannoch, as would Tali, and the little time they had for themselves would be spent eating breakfast, lunch and dinner or lying in bed, sleeping or cuddling for a couple of minutes before falling asleep.

The moment was only interrupted by the one voice that irritated him more than any other.  _Oh come on._ "Captain Shepard? Khalisah Bint-Sinan Al Jilani, Westerlund News. Could I have a moment with you and your...ah... _friend._ " Shepard let go of Tali and turned to the news reporter, her news drone hovering over her like always. He felt himself heat up at the way she said 'friend', like it was some kind of perverted or disgusting word, but he didn't dare lash out. Tali stood next to him, feeling the same, but she knew John's reaction would be worst. She took his hand in hers and squeezed it to let him know it was alright.

Sighing, he responded, "Yes, but out of curiosity, how did you find me?" Khalisah was either tailgating him after he finally stated humanity came first on the Citadel or she was the new Shadow Broker. The latter was VERY unlikely, so he decided the former was the more likely. Wow, he could just imagine that every time he so much as touched Tali, it would become galactic news. He could imagine the headlines, and it disgusted him all the way down to the core, 'Captain John Harrison Shepard, Honored War Hero, Destroyer of the Reapers revealed to be in love with quarian engineer, suit rat and friend.' Khalisah laughed, "It took me awhile but when I questioned a certain human, I think his name was Kenneth Donnelly, nice young man, he told me you were 'married' to...that thing, standing right next to you. So, it was a lucky guess that you were on Rannoch. You were always too soft on aliens."

Shepard clenched up his fists when she said 'that thing.' That stung Tali, but it pissed him the hell off. Not that he would show it, his military discipline was still firm. "I'm sure. Khalisah, if you want this interview to continue, you will refer to Tali as Mrs. Shepard, Lieutenant Shepard or simply Tali, but if you refer to her as 'that thing' ever again, then this interview is over." Khalisah was taken back by his words but Tali simply smiled, smugly. She resisted the temptation to lie her head on his shoulder.

Khalisah cleared her throat before speaking, "John Shepard, Tali'Zorah..." Shepard cleared his throat, "Tali' _Shepard._ " Khalisah signalled the drone to delete the footage and start from scratch, "John Shepard, Tali'Shepard, everyone on Earth know the both of you abandoned Earth when it came under attack from the Reapers. As you stated later on, you said you were doing it to gather the races to save it. Many were skeptical of this, but you did indeed deliver, along with a superweapon called the Crucible. What can you tell us about the Crucible?"

Shepard smiled, "Well, actually, I didn't really abandon Earth as like you said, I did indeed return. That's not abandoning it, that's leaving to save it. If I had abandoned it, I wouldn't have returned. Tali unfortunetly wasn't present on Earth during such time, as she was on the Migrant Fleet. The details of the reason why are strictly on a need to know basis, and are not to be disclosed for reasons of Alliance Colonial Security and a matter of political stability. As for the Crucible, I'm not a tech savvy like my dear lifemate here, but all I can really say is that it was a FUBAR for the Reapers. Big ass nuclear bomb right into their rearends."

Khalisah nodded and turned to Tali, "Tali, could you explain the technical specifics of the Crucible device?" Tali shifted for a second before speaking, "I can't say I know much about the Crucible, as I wasn't present during its construction. What I can say is that it used quantum entanglement and a complex molecular transliminal system that was used to strike deep into the Reaper's subconscious processors, essentially 'frying' them. To put it quite simply, the Crucible used deadly unnamed radiation that could not harm organic material, but was lethal to synthetic or any type of metal substance."

Khalisah moved to the next question, "Tali, the latest news reports showed that you were lately 'indoctrinated' by a dormant indoctrination device used by the Blue Suns. How do we know you won't have daily episodes? How do we know your not still under the Reaper's thrall?" Shepard had somehow seen this coming. Tali spoke up before he did though, "The reports are true, but I can assure you I am not an agent for the Blue Suns. The Blue Suns have been long under the command of Zaeed Massani, a comrade of ours, and Vido Santiago and Dav'Sarve, my captors, executed. I will continue to suffer from minor headaches for as long as I live, but I no longer serve the mercs or the Reapers."

Khalisah nodded and turned to Shepard, "Captain Shepard, we have also received reports that an entire Cerberus regiment was responsible for attacking the city of Unastali and killing 4 unarmed civilians. Could you explain how this happened?" Shepard stood firmly and responded equally, "You are indeed correct. Cerberus managed to move in using a stealth corvette of some sort and deployed a regiment with the intent of eliminating my crew. We can assure you that the attack was dealt with, as joint quarian republican marines, geth troops, turian imperial troops and rachni helped us neatralize them. Damage was light and the civilian populace reassured that an attack of the same orchestration will not happen again, and patrols have been doubled. The Cerberus corvette was also detected by quarian orbital defense and shot down."

Khalisah prepared another question but stopped as another reporter came up next to her, in  _white_ uniform.  _Damn it, Battlespace is here._ "Captain Shepard, you still owe me a interview." She then turned to Khalisah, "My name is Diana Allers, a reporter for Battlespace. I served as lead reporter on Shepard's vessel, the SSV Normandy SR-2." Khalisah turned to Shepard, flabbergasted.  _This bitch was allowed on Shepard's vessel, just like that? All she did was ask? Why didn't I! I could have sneaked a camera into Shepard's cabin. Because of this, I've made Westerlund the laughing stock of the galaxy._

Diana then turned to Shepard and Khalisah continued her interview, "Now, Shepard. During the Battle over Zorya, the Alliance stated that your vessel, the Normandy, had been hijacked by the Blue Suns and you later took control again and smashed it into another Blue Suns vessel. Is this true?" Shepard glanced at Tali and Allers before back at Khalisah, "Yes. We had no other choice." Khalisah took her chance, "So you admit that you took the most advanced alliance frigate, scratch that, vessel, in galactic history and you decided to discard it by launching it into a renegade merc vessel in some act of bravado? Do you realize how much that frigate cost? We only have 3 Normandy-class vessels in existence and you destroy one of them? Did you think of the implications this could have on the Alliance?"

Shepard rolled his eyes. Ah yes, Khalisah's typical attempts to downplay him. He fully expected this to happen. Khalisah built a reputation on trying her best to make Shepard look bad. She never succeeded of course, and he was going to make sure that continued. "That ship was like a home to me. To my lifemate. To my friends. To my family. Every memory I hold dearly I had on that ship, it brought only happiness. I did not throw the ship away recklessly, I did it with purpose. If given the chance, I would gladly aid in rebuilding the Normandy and I will never accept the command of a ship that isn't called the Normandy. This interview is over."

Khalisah took the hint, as always, and shut off the news feed. "Still too soft Shepard. That suit rat really has destroyed your morale." Tali went to punch the reporter, but Shepard stopped her. Instead, he moved up in front of the reporter. "I've always wanted to do this." Clenching his fist, he punched Khalisah in the face, causing her to fall to the ground. She gasped from the punch but quickly recovered and got up. "You won't get away with that Shepard, I'll tell everyone." Shepard just chuckled, "I saved the galaxy from total extinction from the Reapers. You think their gonna care that I punched some random reporter? Get lost." He gave a dismissive wave in Khalisah's direction, and she skulked off like a angry dog.

Shepard then recognized the face of another approaching reporter. "How's my favourite reporter?" Shepard called out. She smiled and shook hands with Shepard. "Commander...sorry, Captain, it's been a while. Glad to see you've finally gotten together with your quarian friend over there, I knew you two liked each other the day I interviewed each other. Not that you wanted to show it." Shepard chuckled as he gave up and hugged her. She reciprocated the hug and then pulled back when Diana cut in, "Ah...who are you and how do you two know each other?"

The reporter smiled and turned to Diana, "Oh, I really am sorry. Let me introduce myself. Emily Wong, I'm a investigative journalist. Me, Shepard, Tali, and  _Garrus..._ ," She said Garrus loud enough for the turian to come over and find out what's going on, "met on the Citadel when Shepard was investigating Fist three years ago, long before the geth attack." Diana nodded. A reporter that knew Shepard longer than both her and Khalisah. Impressive, and a reporter that Shepard  _actually_ liked. Not intimately or romantically of course, but one he respected.

Emily began to fiddle with her hair as she always did and spoke, "You still owe me that interview. What would you like the galactic public to know?" Emily stated, activating her datapad and ready to take notes. Shepard thought of all the things to say. Then he knew one thing he wanted to state to the public, the one thing that will not only stun the public, but change the way they look at the topic ever again.

"Emily, I'd just like to say this. This quarian behind me? Her name is Tali'Shepard vas Rannoch. That's right my lifemate. My 'wife' as you would call it, but as I like to call it, my lifemate. I know the racists out there that still exist will object to this, but I don't care. Be as skeptical as you wish. I love her, she loves me, and that's all that matters to me. Many also say that a child would never come from such a bonding. Well, me and Tali were inclined to believe that and prepared for adoption. "Then a miracle happened. Thanks to a little blue vial, we did it."

"A child was produced, from my Tali's womb. People, say hello to the first Human-Quarian hybrid child, the first Quman." Shepard motioned for Rael to step in front of the camera, which he did, curiosity overwhelming him as he studied the camera.

"Say hello to Rael'Shepard nar Rayya."

...

"Well, this has been Diana Allers and if you want to stay tuned on all the latest conflicting news, report into...the Battlespace." Diana motioned for the drone to stop filming before turning to Shepard. "Very nice work, Shepard. You had me utterly engaged in my own interview. You have quite the gift. I see how your charm worked on Mrs. Shepard here..." Tali blushed in the background as she put her arm around Shepard's waist.

Diana laughed before turning to leave. Emily decided she would stay a little longer to ask specific details about Rael. She approached Rael with a smile on her face, but stopped as she heard Diana shout. Turning she felt fast moving object ram into her, causing her to topple over it and land. She only got a glimpse but she knew pretty much what it was.  _A Krogan child._ The kid wasn't alone either. Another two followed quickly behind her, followed by two krogan males and a single female.

"Tali stop!" the female shouted. Tali had been talking with Rael when she heard her name. Both she and the lead krogan kid turned to the source of the voice. She instantly recognized the female, "Bakara!" The males were obviously Wrex and Grunt. "What do I stop?" Tali was confused. What was she doing wrong that had upset Bakara? The two krogan children behind the now immobile krogan girl crashed into her, but she was saved by Shepard, who grabbed her arm and lifted her up.

"Tali stop this instant!" Bakara shouted again. Tali was about to ask what about again but immediately had an epiphany. It was obvious Bakara wasn't talking to her, but her children. She remembered Wrex's words from Bustan Hospital _. Why not? Name one Mordin, then name the other Shepard. Since we had a third child, and it was a girl, we thought, why not. Besides Tali, you've always been one of my greatest friends._ She turned to the krogan girl. he shouted loudly, "Tali stop now!" Tali felt odd saying her own name but she managed to tackle the krogan girl to the ground.

Holding her firm, she waited for Bakara to get there. The Krogan girl eventually surrendered before getting back up, assisted by her brothers, Mordin and Shepard. Tali got up and walked over to Shepard, feeling a stinging feeling in her ribs.  _Damn...Krogan...strength._ Wrex chuckled loudly, followed by Grunt. Wrex's voice boomed loudly, "HAHAHA TALI! This is why I like you! Damn, if Shepard hadn't already have claimed you, I would have taken you as my mate." Bakara looked at Wrex with venom while Tali was alittle bit scared by that thought. She knew however, that Wrex was just joking. Diana gave the krogan a wide birth and left, while Emily shruggingly got up, dusting herself off.

Tali replied in kind, "I don't know Wrex. Being bonded to a human was bad enough for my people, being bonded to a krogan would be unacceptable. Besides, I think I prefer a weak human to a huge, muscular krogan. No offense." Shepard turned to Tali, "Way to emasculate me Tali. Still, I'm glad you prefer me over that krogan brute." Wrex glared at him teasingly and they broke out laughing. Tali turned to Bakara as Emily decided to take her leave. Garrus just went back to work and talked with Legion. "So why bring the whole family Bakara? You preparing to sell your children to us? Be careful, we force feed them."

Shepard rolled his eyes as the group laughed. "No Tali, I'm not selling my children. I just decided to have my children meet the people they were named after. Of course, that won't be possible with Mordin..." Bakara trailed off and Shepard decided to switch topics before it got sadder. Instead, Tali's omnitool started beeping. She opened up the incoming message and went inside. It was obviously private, so Shepard stayed with Bakara and the other krogan, engaging in family like talk. Rael was introduced to Uncle Wrex and Grunt and Auntie Bakara and became quick friends with Tali, Mordin and...the kid named after him.

It wasn't long before Tali rejoined them. But she looked annoyed. VERY annoyed. Something that annoyed her so much she was reluctant to talk about it. He had to bring it up anyway, "What's wrong Tali? Something appears to be bothering you." Tali looked at Shepard and sighed. "We've been called to the Citadel to assist in peace talks." Shepard rolled his eyes, as Tali knew he would. She had done the same thing. The last thing they both wanted was to get mixed up in galactic politics.

Shepard gave a sigh, "As a council spectre, I am under law forced to respond to the Council. And I doubt Tali will let me go anywhere without her at my side." Tali confirmed this by moving closer next to him. He turned to Bakara, "I am truly sorry, but we must leave now. Duty calls." Then his eyes drifted to Rael.  _Shit, we can't take Rael with us._  Then a idea flashed in his mind. "We can't take Rael with us unfortunently, so could we leave him under your care?"

Bakara was slightly taken aback, but more so Garrus. He stood up, "Don't trust me enough?" Shepard and chuckled and Tali gave him a mocking point of disaproval, "You're a ex-Turian viglante Garrus. I don't know where Rael would be safest with, a pack of powerful krogan, or a turian viglante with hands down awesome marksman skills. Oh wait, I do. Both. Garrus, you can help."

Garrus grinned as he returned to work. Shepard turned to Tali and smiled and then slowly the both of them walked towards their Mako. The pack of Krogan, Rael and Garrus approached the Mako as the hatch closed and it began to drive off towards Unastali. Wrex turned to Rael, "Haha! I'm going to teach little Rael here how to shoot like his father!" Wrex let Rael climb onto his back and together, he, Rael, Grunt and the krogan children ran down the hill. Bakara was hopeless to stop them. Garrus dropped his stuff, asking Legion to continue and ran after them. Bakara sighed.  _Tali's going to kill me._

...

Xen quietly walked down the hallways of the Moreh and towards her office. She was angry. Not only did she have Hawk jumping down her throat and getting ready to kill her if she made one slight slip up, but her incompotent crew had decided it would be funny to only bring back a single geth unit.

Oh yes, Xen wasn't going to let her last failure stop her from continuing her research against the geth. She was fascinated by them, and now that they possessed Reaper code, she was further fascinated by them and more determined to gain access to their consensus. That geth, Ambassador, had been the only reason her last plan failed. The geth of course mass exodus' off of Aeia and cease the movement of their stations from Rannoch's orbit. That stupid little bosh'tet, Tali, Rael's little daughter, then decided to lead that Legion and a few quarian marines to assault her communications satellite. If it hadn't been for that bosh'tet, things could have gotten better for the quarian race.

She shook the thought away as she remembered the latest message she had sent. She liked how she had tricked the little idiots into a false meeting. She stopped as she reached her office. Opening the door via the haptic interface, she entered and sat down behind her disk, looking upon the cubes that once contained s'geth, but now long remained dormant. S'geth, her personal assistant before the Aeia incident, had long transferred itself into the geth consciousness and she had yet before she could locate him again.

 _That blasted synthetic was my servant, and it turned against me! I knew their was a problem with its coding ever since it started offering further assistance without being prompted! I should have shut it down! But no, my incompotence almost got my people destroyed over Rannoch. If Tali hadn't of had such a devoted lifemate, the quarian race would have destroyed themselves by now._ She sighed as she accessed the new fleet records. The Admiralty Board had indeed been officially disolved yesterday, and now she was just another Captain.  _Great, my authority is being slowly drained away from me._

Han'Gerrel and Malra had begun construction of their home on Rannoch and Malra given full command of the Neema, while Kar'Danna and his lifemate, Hrum seemed to be keeping themselves busy. Shala'Raan was off playing politician on the Citadel with Garu following her like a pet  _Malkar._ Zaal'Koris seemed to be playing around like the suit wetter he still is, kissing the boots of every race that steps forward with an alliance or peace treaty. Xen shut down the records and lazily lay back. She let out a stifled yawn. Tired and deciding she needed rest, she got up and headed for her cabin. Once there, she entered and immediately fell into her sleeping mat, and closed her eyes.

She decided to think of happy things to get her mind to fall asleep from all the scheming and experiments she had planned. She could only think of one, and she smiled as she fell asleep.

_Poor Shepard and Tali. They think their headed for some political meeting, well, aren't they in for a big surprise. When Shepard and Tali get to that RV point, nothing but the Moreh will be waiting for them._

_And when I have them, I'll deliver them right into Cerberus' hands. Hawk will not be disappointed._ And with that, Xen fell asleep, smiling.

 **Bosh'tet:** Thought by many non-quarians to be the quarian equivalent of "son of a bitch" or "bastard." Surprisingly, it is actually the name of a animal native to Rannoch, similiar to Earth rats. It is a rodent to lives my scavenging, but has a very low intelligence, is quite irritating and lazy. It eats the excrement of other animals, using what's let of it as a home and the undigested bits as sustenance. It will eat any dung, even its own. It will defend its dung pile at any cost, even its own kind, and has been known to fight to the death. Quarians used it as a curse word for people who are being stupid, unresponsive, irritating or fighting for a worthless cause or reason.

 **Tilgrap:** Large herbivore, native to Rannoch. Tilgrap, alpha female of the pack. Tilgra refers to the other members of the pack, both male and female. Moving in packs, the tilgrap uses snarling and huffing to force the pack to move where she decided to lead them.

 **Uqualis Trik:** Term of promise. To uphold a statement. Literal Translation: I keep my promises. Said usually between lifemates when they state they wish to uphold their promises.

 **Malkar:** A animal native to Rannoch and Haestrom. Malkar are large beasts, similiar to Earth lions, that live on a omnivore diet, eating a mixture of meat and plant life. They are fast and have strong powerful legs, allowing them to run at the speeds of a Earth cheetah for longer periods of time, but are fatigued severely afterwards.

"We finally get out here and the 'final frontier' was already settled. And the residents don't even seem impressed by the view. Or the dangers."

\- Kaidan


	28. Incarceration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Xen makes her move. The squad plan a rescue.

_**Incarceration** _

"Lana, I'm only considering the point that Cerberus is still out there and needs to be dealt with." Kal tried to reason with the woman, but she still wasn't budging. Lana crossed her arms, "Kal, I'm done fighting. We both agreed to quit the marines and live on Haestrom. You promised me no more fighting. But now you want to go off and fight Cerberus!" Lana shouted back. She wasn't agree at Kal, but she was done fighting. All she had known ever since joining the marines, was war. Now, she wanted to change that.

Kal sighed, "I'm not only doing this for you Lana, but I'm also doing this for a friend. Admit it Lana, if Shepard hadn't come to the rescue when he had..." Lana recounted those daunting times. When she had only just revealed her feelings for Kal and some geth turret had almost taken her life away. If not for Shepard, she would have died of her injuries. She owed her life to him. "I'd be dead." She finished for him. Kal nodded and rose his hand up to her cheek, "You owe him for that, but I owe him as well for allowing me the chance of travelling on life's journey's with you. I intend to pay him back, and if that involves destroying Cerberus once and for all, then I gladly accept. Lana, I beg you, as my lifemate, to join my side. Help me, as I have helped you. Shepard is our friend, we can't just abandon him. Or Tali."

Lana looked at the ground, unsure of what to do next. She knew that her heart would do anything to be beside her lifemate, even risking death. She knew what she would do. She looked up and smiled, "Very well, Kal. For Shepard." Kal smiled and let his hand fall to his side. Kal was about to turn and walk away, but he was stopped when something heavy and soft landed on his back.

He fell face first into the ground, but turned his head just in time so that his faceplate didn't make contact with the ground. The impact knocked the wind out of him and Lana just stood there in shock shouting, "Rael!" Kal tried to orient himself so he could see the energetic child, but from his current position, his attempt proved fruitless. Instead, he gave a sigh of defeat and looked straight into Lana's face, telling her everything he could in one look.  _Get the bosh'tet off me._ Lana took the hint and moved towards Rael. She picked the child up off Kal's back, relieving a lifetime of pain in the quarian's back. He rolled left and looked straight at the troublesome toddler.  _Tali really should keep her eyes on this little piece of work._

Leaping up, he moved towards Lana and Rael and opened his arms to take the little boy in his arms, but the sound of a very irritated voice sounded behind him, "GET AWAY FROM THAT KID!" Kal stopped moving and moved away from Lana as two krogan males followed by three krogan children came racing towards them. He motioned for Lana to put Rael down, but she refused. These krogan would not harm Rael.

As the krogan got closer, he instantly recognized them. "Its okay Wrex, its us, Kal and Lana. Rael decided he would play  _yilk'flra_ on my back, so Lana got him off me and that's when you arrived. You can reassure Tali and Shepard that no harm has come to their child, we would never think of such a thing." Kal crossed his arms. Lana gently put Rael on the ground, and he instantly hugged his Auntie's leg. Lana was surprised by the gesture and looked up at Kal smiling. Keying her dedicated channel she said, "Kal, he really likes me!" Kal laughed silently. The kid may be a hellion, but he was adorable.

Grunt stopped right next to his former battlemaster and he could see Garrus stopping to his left, Bakara not far behind it seemed. Wrex approached Rael, "We would, but that's not possible. Tali and Shepard just went off world to meet with some of the Councilors over a political matters. They left Rael under our care for the duration." Bakara ran up next to Wrex, clearing her throat, "MY, under MY care for the duration. Shepard and Tali aren't stupid, they won't entrust their only child to a krogan battlemaster who can hardly look after his own children!" Tali, Mordin and Shepard, during the duration of the krogan banter, had slipped passed them and run off with Rael, towards a congregation of quarian children now the street.

Kal laughed as they went but the thing about Tali and Shepard just didn't seem right.  _If the councilors had wanted them in the first place, they would have contacted them beforehand. Why would they go through all that trouble to drag them to the Citadel when they could have gone with them? Something doesn't feel right._ As ex-Marines, Kal and Lana always had to stay vigilant and aware of their surroundings, it helped them in detecting treachery. And right now, Kal could smell treachery from a mile away.

"Something isn't right. The Council would have brought Shepard and Tali with them if they wanted to talk, why NOW contact them? It doesn't make sense." Wrex was taken back by the sudden change of topic after he watched Rael trying to play  _birzyt_ , but nodded in agreement when he caught on. "I agree, too fishy to me. I smell deception. But that in itself doesn't make sense. Why would Tali lie about something like that?" Kal knew the answer already, "Because she doesn't know either. No, Tali isn't the deceiver, she's the deceived. Same with Shepard. Anyone else smell a trap?"

Everyone stood in silence. They knew there could only be one organization that could orchestrate such a trap, to have the balls to dare face Shepard. Cerberus. Who else? The Blue Suns were Zaeed's bitches now, Eclipse was still rebuilding and Blood Pack was firmly under Aria's iron fist, as was a weakened Eclipse. The Reapers were nothing but smoldering wreckages, the Collectors long gone and the geth now allied with them and friendly. It could only be Cerberus, unless his own people had betrayed him, but he highly doubted Han would stand up for that.

"Cerberus. Has to be. Noone else at the moment has the audacity to try and kill Shepard except Cerberus. Their flying right into a trap, and we have to save them." Kal stated, and everyone nodded in agreement. Grunt spoke up first, "But how?" For once, Grunt had asked a legitimate question. All his other questions were either dumb or the answers were too obvious for anyone to bother explaining. This time was different though. Kal shook his head as he ran through his mind the many myriads of options they had available in saving Shepard and Tali.

Then it dawned on him.  _Kal you idiotic hagrr'hizs! How could you not have thought of that before!_ Immediately standing up, Kal shouted, "We need to get to the spaceport. We need to contact Shepard and Tali's shuttle. They need to be warned. Bakara, you better stay here and look after Rael and the others." Everyone nodded and ran after Kal, all except Bakara and Lana, but Lana was more like limping after them. Bakara turned to the children and now found them playing  _Liz'elk._ Rael seemed to be working with another two quarian girls in attempting to win it, and he was succeeding.

She smiled as she approached the children. She was about to get in arm range of Rael but was stopped when 2 quarian women jumped in front of them, wide eyed. "Stay away from my children!" One shouted. She looked up to see two quarian males on the sidelines, waiting for the krogan to make a move. She wasn't stupid, if she so much as layed a hand on one of the quarian women, her lifemate would attack, and she knew not to underestimate quarian strength, not since Kal beat Wrex in hand-to-hand sparring back on Tuchanka.

She eyed the quarians before responding, "I'm not here to harm your children. I am currently babysitting young Rael behind you. I am his Aunt." The quarian women eyed her suspiciously. She liked quarian women, so much like krogan women when it came to protecting their offspring. Very defensive. "That is a load of  _Det Kazuat_ ,  _Iaysaz_. This child behind me is a  _Usl'sa yze tabb,_ not yours. It's a quarian human hybrid, an abomination to our people, but not one shared by you. Now be gone." The krogan was very close to picking up the quarian and throwing her away, but was stopped by a familiar synthetic voice.

"Creator, this Bakara-Urdnot is asking you to move, immediately. If you will not, I will have geth platforms remove you. You cannot withhold a child of Shepard-Captain's and Tali'Shepard's from their trusted advisor." Bakara turned and smiled as she saw Legion standing behind her, its eye glowing so fiercely, it reflected off the quarian woman's faceplate. Her eyes widened and Shepard's name and Bakara resisted the temptation to laugh.

"Go to  _sdjum'jsauud_  you stupid machine. You will not order..." The woman felt her head smacked across the scalp and she collapsed onto the ground. Her lifemate came rushing to her side, as did her child, and the male snarled at the pair. Bakara looked up, and she saw the attacker to be none other than the quarian female who had also blocked her passage. Seeing the need for introduction, the quarian turned and bowed, "Greetings, my name is Lia'Vael vas Avigja. You'll have to excuse my friend here, she's a little, what's the human saying, off the hook." Lia smiled. When she had heard that Shepard and Tali had conceived a child, she had immediately backed off. But her friend hadn't and she wasn't going to let Legion endure her crap.

Still snarling, the other woman's lifemate helped her up and the quarians left. Meanwhile, she felt Rael climb up onto her back. Lia laughed, motioning behind her for her child and lifemate to join her. As the child wrapped her arms around Lia's right leg and her lifemate stood beside her, she looked back up to Bakara and smiled. "You probably are wondering, 'keelah, who are you?' I met Captain Shepard on the Citadel almost a year ago when he helped me out on my pilgrimage. This stupid volus was bullying me about some credit chit and this C-Sec officer was telling me he was going to not only run me in for theft, but for vagrancy! Anyway, Shepard then came along and offered to find the chit. And guess what?"

Bakara was listening intently and gave the quarian a look of 'what?' Smiling, Lia shouted excitedly, "He found it and handed straight to that pathetic volus! But the bosh'tet wasn't finished! No, instead of being grateful, he stated that I could have stolen it! The next thing I know, Tali moves in and starts calling the officer a bosh'tet and her exact words to the volus were 'I am Tali'Zorah vas Normandy and you sir, are an idiot!' Still, I was getting into a heap of trouble so eventually Shepard intervened. He pushed and shoved the volus and then he mandhandled the C-Sec officer. Eventually the officer threatened to have him thrown in for obstruction of justice. So right there, right at that moment, he said..."

"'You think you're going to run in a Spectre? Maybe I could use some of my above the law powers to teach you racist assholes a lesson in civility.' The next thing you know, the Volus is running off like a wuss and the officer walking off, cursing to himself."

Bakara laughed at the recount. Shepard standing up to petty racism, a ideal that she knew he greatly disliked. His ability to let all races have a chance is why he is so famous; he is simply above racism in all forms. He didn't assign stereotypes to races; he didn't think all quarians were beggars or thieves, he didn't think the geth were heartless murderers and he knew for certain that not all krogan were brutal, uncivilized thugs. It was those qualities that really made Shepard the man he was.

Lia smiled again, "Hey, why don't you come into our home? It's just across the street. Were all friends here, and I could make you some of our people's prized Ancestral Sunset, a popular drink on our world, lemo-amino for you of course." Bakara gladly accepted the invitation. "I am sorry Creator Lia'Vael, but I have duties to perform. I shall talk with you later." Legion then left the area, returning to his post. Bakara turned to Lia and followed her family into their house.

...

Shepard smiled as he gazed at the myriads of stars that whizzed past as the shuttle headed for the RV point. It was blissfully quiet, a quiet he quite enjoyed. It brought him peace and tranquility, nothing on the level of peace Tali brought him, but it was wonderful nonetheless. The only sounds that filled the cabin were the sounds of humming machinery and beeping consoles. Tali was fast asleep in the troop bay, as she had decided to take a nap for the duration of his shift, before his was over and it was his turn to wake her up and rest.

He thought about the future he had with Tali, the future THEY had with Rael. It was going to be hell, he knew it from day one of Rael's birth. Children were always hellions, it didn't matter what race, whether you were krogan, asari, elcor, hanar, volus, quarian, raloi, turian, salarian or whatever, it doesn't matter. It always comes down to the samething. That's what made him laugh, that no matter how physically, socially and emotionally different we all are, we will all had similiaraties.

It was get extremely lonely in the cockpit. These days, being away from Tali was like telling a child he has to sit down and hold a bar of soap in his/her mouth for twelve hours straight and not spit it out. Their souls were truly one, and he cherished that. He wanted so much to join her in bed, but he knew that even one slight movement could bring the entire shuttle crashing onto some distant world, and he would not be able to use loneliness as a excuse for their rescue team. He sighed and decided to write a message to Shala, telling her they'll be late due to a few technical pullbacks.

After finishing the message, he moved on to look at his other emails. His eyes opened to maximum when he saw his inbox number. He thought he would faint.  _71,567. How do I respond to that much fanmail?_ Shit, he would need Mordin to do all this for him. The thought of Mordin still brought much sadness for him, as did the thoughts of Thane. Both had been very good friends, and he missed them dearly. Even though they gave their lives for the greater good, the former to cure the genophage and the latter to protect Councilor Valern, he still chastises himself for thinking he let them die in vain.  _They didn't though. Mordin willingly and forcefully entered that tower, even though I pleaded with him to stay. And Thane, I didn't ask him to save the Councilor. He just did, and Leng's final swipe of his sword wasn't foreseen. I couldn't have saved them, even if I wanted too._

He decided to go to the 'select all' section and send a message to all of them, telling them to send their emails to another specified account. After touching send, he closed his omnitool and unholstered his phalanx pistol, checking it. He was about to start polishing it when he heard Tali's voice behind him, "Hey." Shepard turned to her. She was standing in the doorway to the compartment, smiling down at him, her mask and helmet off. "Hey beautiful, couldn't sleep? Or did you get lonely?" he asked. There were bags underneath Tali's eyes that made her look like a boogeyman. She tried to smile again, but couldn't. "Both. I'm just not tired John. You go take your rest, I'll continue watch from here. I'm just wasting the bed space."

Shepard's face creased into a frown.  _Still the selfless Tali I know. Good, I don't want her to ever change._ "Tali, come here. Sit down." Tali hesitated for only a second before walking over and sitting in the chair next to him. He wrapped a arm around her waist and urged her to lay her head on his shoulder. She complied, resting on his shoulder. Once near him, she could never get enough. She crept in closer, until eventually she was out of the chair and on his lap, head still resting against his shoulder, face buried into his neck. He whispered in her ear, "Go to sleep...let me be your pillow...and go to sleep..." Tali complied, feeling her eyes drooping and getting heavier. His warmth was so overwhelming, she couldn't resist...

Before Tali knew it, she was out cold, sleeping like an angel. Shepard smiled at Tali's sleeping form and did not dare move out of worry he'll wake her up. How could he, she looked so cute when she slept. Instead, he leaned his head against hers, using her soft hood as his pillow, and closed his own eyes, smiling as he went. He must have thought Tali was asleep, because her last words before actually falling asleep were, "I love you, you know that." Shepard responded in kind, "I love you, too. I knew this ever since I first met you in the alleys of the Citadel,  _Saera._ "

He let his eyes close again. What felt like minutes later, the shuttle violently shook. His eyes shot open, military instinct taking action. He shook Tali, "Tali! Wake up! Tali, were under attack!" Tali jolted up like a petrified rabbit and had the situation not been as dire as it was, he would have laughed. Tali nodded and immediately leapt into her chair before taking position behind the piloting console. Shepard took the weapons station just as the shuttle shook again, more violently this time.

"Keelah! Bosh'tets! They took out our engines!" Tali stated as she desperately tried evasive patterns, but it was fruitless. The flying brick wasn't going to move. She looked at him desperately. Shepard hated that look, it always scared him, knowing Tali was scared. Trying to take her mind of it, he asked, "Can you identify our attacker Tali? Give me a tactical analysis." Tali immediately shook from her concern and worry and checked the systems. "It's a Cruiser. Keelah, John...it's quarian. It's got the Republican insignia!" Shepard looked at the display, and indeed she was correct. A quarian cruiser, the republican symbol of a half quarian, half geth head with a sword down the middle shining on its hull.

"Hail them! Tell them to cease fire, were friendlies!" Tali shook her head, "John, these people know exactly who we are. Our IFF is still transmitting perfectly, they know who we are. They've attacked us unprovokedly, and we need to find out why..." her voice trailed off slightly. Shepard considered giving her a grim look, but knew it would only worsen the situation. She was shaking, terribly. She was scared, and she had a right too. They had a close to unarmed shuttle under attack from a fully equipped quarian warship of cruiser designation. The odds of winning were slim, even though they possessed one advantage; speed. But that wouldn't last long against this cruiser.

"Tali, tactical analysis. Now." He shook Tali's shoulder gently for emphasis. She nodded and began typing in commands. "Its like any other Cruiser, built with a armament of 10 photonic main guns with a full rotational axis of 2000 degrees, 360 degrees in human measurement, and has a number of ship-to-ship rockets. Some of its new armament includes a few GARDIAN laser turrets and a single MAC mounted on the bow of the vessel. It's armor plating is 16 meters thick on amidships and forward, rearward armor is 10 meters thick. It has powerful shields and its top speed is 100 kph. It has a single hangar bay and there are no weak spots a shuttle could exploit except for speed."

Now Shepard felt what Tali felt. That cruiser was superior to them in everyway save speed. And the speed wouldn't save them when those GARDIAN lasers started firing. State-of-the-art technology those GARDIANs were (General ARea Defense Integration Anti-spacecraft Network). Plus, their engines had been taken out so speed was a no go anyway. They were trapped, helpless and at the mercy of the quarian rogue vessel. Just as he expected the ship to destroy them, they were hailed.

"Put it through Tali, audio only." Tali nodded and pressed the relevant buttons. Soon, a familiar and hated voice came through the speakers, "Captain Shepard, this is Captain Daro'Xen vas Moreh, your shuttle is disabled. Prepare to be boarded. I demand only your unconditional surrender. And if you want your precious little Tali to live, don't try any heroics. Xen out." Xen's voice disappeared as fast as it came in. Shepard's face flared up in anger.  _Xen would dare attack this vessel. When Gerrel finds out about this...but what does she think she's going to do with us? I escaped Project Base without any help, helping Tali and I out should be like stealing candy from a baby._

He turned to Tali and held out his hand. She immediately took it and he helped her up and together they entered the troop bay, getting their weapons. Tali grabbed her mask and latched it in position, along with the rest of her helmet, while gathering her pistol. They only came with a pistol each. With a glance at each other they positioned themselves on both sides of the hatch.  _One mistake and this is all over. We'll have to rush in quickly. Not only are we outgunned, but Xen could send us adrift in a millisecond and then destroy us._ He steadied his pistol, but his shaking was visible. He was clearly worried. Unfortunently, Tali saw this as well. She looked up him, her lumiscent eyes glowing intently, her eyes showing how scared she was.

She wanted so much to tell him everything she wanted for their future in those few crucial seconds, but in the end all that came out were two simple words, "I love you." Shepard smiled and nodded, "I love you too." They prepared for the hatch to open as they heard the seals. But then a beeping sound that grew rapidly louder and more rapid. He realized too late what it was. "TALI! GET DO-" The explosion ripped the hatch wide open, sending them flying into the ground, the pistols slipping out of their hands.

Shepard yelped in pain as a piece of shrapnel got wedged in his leg and blood oozed from the wound. He gripped it tightly, trying to hide the pain. He looked over to see Tali trying to get up, but the fall had weakened her. It was a tormenting sight. Then he heard the sound of footsteps coming from the hatch and turned to the source. Through the former hatch came the three, heavily armoured forms of three centurions.  _Cerberus. But what are they doing on a quarian ship?_ Then it dawned on him just as the single, feminine and sleek form of the quarian female captain came walking in behind them. He saw her motion for the troops to secure Tali.

He got up to combat them but he was pinned down by two guardians. Xen then lowered a pistol at his head, smiling. He turned to see Tali being rammed into a wall, back turned to the Cerberus troopers. Using cuffs, they tried to cuff her, but she immediately retaliated, right hooking one in the head and footsweeping another. She then turned to see him, and stopped immediately, her face creased in worry. Shepard then saw one of the centurions get up and rear a bat behind her. Before he could warn her, the soldier hit her across the back, making her fall to the ground in pain. He continued to wack her with the batton continuously, and the repeated cries of pain that came from Tali's mouth pained him to the core.

Eventually, they took the battered Tali through the hatch. She was unconscious. He wanted so much to save her, but he was also looking down Xen's gun barrel and was pinned by two enhanced cerberus soldiers. He gave Xen a hateful glare, which to his annoyance, just fueled her smugness. "Not so dominating now are you Shepard? Cerberus will be pleased to have you and Tali added to their collection." Shepard retorted, "What are you doing to do with Tali?" Before he could hear an answer, he was whacked across the head and knocked out.

Xen smiled evilly, "Many things. But don't worry, you'll be allowed to watch." She lost her smile as she holstered her pistol and motioned for the troopers, "Get him and throw him into the same cell as Tali. I'd rather not have him wake up and trash the place searching for her. Once at the base, Hawk will do the rest. I will take you there, but that is it. I can't risk discovery."

Two troopers moved in and dragged Shepard inside the ship as they spoke. The guardian was confused, "What about this shuttle? Surely everyone knew they were leaving. They will get suspicious." Xen chuckled, "Don't worry Connor, I am quarian, I know how to salvage a situation. I will return to the fleet, but not before destroying this shuttle and making it look like they died in a horrible attack, an attack I...had no involvement in." Connor nodded in understanding, but still he was concerned. He had developed a crush for Xen, which she had reciprocated, but they kept it secret so as not to damage Cerberus' reputation. If Hawk found out he was romantically involved with the quarian admiral...the retribution he would wreak is just beyond any recognition.

He put an arm on her shoulder and then entered the ship. Xen smiled as he went in. Love of course was just an obstacle, but not if the person shared the same views as you, and Connor was indeed the perfect lifemate. He had the same views, believed in enslaving the geth, and they both had a personal hatred of Shepard. Xen then reentered the Moreh, but not before ordering the destruction of the shuttle and for them to immediately head for Noveria.  _Hawk will be very pleased indeed. And maybe I can get some private time with Connor._

...

"You're positive that their IFF JUST stopped transmitting?" Kal was getting desperate now. If the IFF really had gone dark, then they were sure of two things; the meeting was definitely fake, and that Cerberus was behind it. Wrex looked like he would enter a fit of rage while Grunt seemed to be ready to go to war with the quarian republic.

The quarian control station officer nodded for the third time in a row. Kal balled his hand into a fist and smashed the console. The Quarian didn't jump from that, but Wrex's fist did, and it left a massive dent in the console. The quarian officer was just about ready to call security, but stopped as he noticed the krogan silently conversing with Kal'Reegar. The other krogan seemed to have backed off as well, as did the turian. Lana seemed to just laying low. "So your positive its Cerberus?" Wrex asked.

"Who else could it be? All the other enemies Shepard ever had are either rebuilding or completely destroyed. Cerberus is the only one that poses a threat, as evident by that assault they pulled here. Its Cerberus, and if that transmitter is right, their dead." The officer rolled his eyes and shouted, "FOR THE FOURTH TIME, ITS RIGHT!" Kal ignored the outburst and returned to conversing with Wrex their next plan. "My battlemaster isn't dead. He's too powerful a warrior. He's alive, taken prisoner maybe, but alive." Grunt stated proudly. For once, Wrex agreed with the runt, "That's my boy. No Balls and All Skeptical here has given up on our good old Captain." Kal's eyes widened in surprise, "Not in 300 years! I haven't given up on Shepard, I just said the chances were slim."

Lana quietly laughed. Kal turned to her, surprised she would laugh at a moment like this. "Lana! Shepard is danger! What are you laughing about?" Lana stopped laughing, but still smiling, turned to Kal. "No Balls." She was stifling a giggle. Kal gave her a frown and rolled his eyes, annoyed at his lifemate's belief that he had no  _oms._ "Haha, very funny Lana. Stop it. This is serious." Lana widened her eyes, "I'm fully aware of that. That's why the whole time you've been talking, I called in some heavy muscle."

Just as she finished, as if right on que, Chief followed by James, Javik, Samara, Liara and the entire crew entered. Kal smiled, as did Wrex and to some extent, Garrus. Grunt just kept his usual, and quite irritating, krogan demeanour.  _Can't he just loosen up some times?_ Kal waited for the crew to be fully inside before beginning. "Okay, as you all already know, Shepard and Tali have been called to a prefabricated meeting and their shuttle destroyed. Their fate is currently unknown. I'm not grasping any straws, I do believe that is the human term, but it is possible they were captured. However, given the assault on Unastali two days ago, we can be forgiven for thinking their...dead."

"However, I have not given up on them. All we need is just some good luck...and a plan. If they are truly alive, then we must hatch a rescue plan." Everyone nodded in agreement, except Javik. He spoke up, "You people are unusally devoted to saving a man who you've only known for 4 years, most of you 3. And you, superhuman, have only known him for a couple of weeks. Why you are so devoted to rescuing a member of the other race is beyond me." Chief laughed, "Its okay buggy, its okay to be shy. Subjugation is a new student to this class. He'll learn." Everyone laughed. Javik wasn't amused.

Garrus saw this and immediately spoke up, "Come on, lighten up you grim bastard. Stop moping around like a depressed forever alone moron and actually join in. Why are you always so mopey?" Javik snapped towards the turian's direction, "Your people weren't completely wiped out were they?" Javik asked. "They almost were-" Garrus started to retort, but was cut off. "Are they extinct?" Garrus shook his head, "Mine are. When your race is wiped out and your the last of them, then you can judge me for being depressed constantly. Excuse me." Javik then left in his same brisk, casual demeanour and the door closed behind him.

Everyone seemed to be ashamed of themselves, Garrus mostly. Chief, being the emotionless sociopath he always is, just stood there, unregretful. Eventually, a voice spoke up from behind them asking one simple question, "Ah, is this Shepard's gang?" Everyone was shocked when Garrus saw the human and facepalmed himself so loudly, the whole room could hear it. Liara turned as well and followed his facepalm. In no time, everyone except he and Lana had facepalmed themselves. Kal approached the human, "Come on it can't be all that bad-" As soon as he saw the human, his eyes opened wide.

Before he could control his reaction, he looked at the ground and facepalmed, so did Lana. This human was not only a embarrassment to everything human, but a complete and utter moron. How could you not facepalm in his presence? "Yes. Yes it is." He regretted welcoming this human in as soon as he said those words. He was sure he would get a mouthful from everyone about it. The human simply beamed in pride as he hugged Liara, then Garrus but simply shook Wrex's hand. "HI GUYS! Oh this is sweet!" Kal looked at Lana and she smiled, "What have you done." She said, not asking a question, but not accusing him either. No, she was just irritated. Kal sighed, "I don't know  _Saera,_  but I have a feeling Shepard and Tali will kill me for it." The human called out, "Where's Tali my favourite quarian? Oh, and Shepard himself!"

Kal sighed and tried to get the human to calm down so they could begin the planning. The human sat at the back like a child learning something fascinating in class, his smile too big for his face.

The human was Conrad Verner.

 **Bosh'tet:** Thought by many non-quarians to be the quarian equivalent of "son of a bitch" or "bastard." Surprisingly, it is actually the name of a animal native to Rannoch, similiar to Earth rats. It is a rodent to lives my scavenging, but has a very low intelligence, is quite irritating and lazy. It eats the excrement of other animals, using what's let of it as a home and the undigested bits as sustenance. It will eat any dung, even its own. It will defend its dung pile at any cost, even its own kind, and has been known to fight to the death. Quarians used it as a curse word for people who are being stupid, unresponsive, irritating or fighting for a worthless cause or reason.

 **Yilk'flra:** Children's game. Literal Translation: Back Pack. The child would jump on the quarian adult's back and the game essentially was a quarian variant of 'tag,' as another quarian child on the back of another adult, usually the lifemate of the same adult, would chase after them trying to tag them. Once tagged, the game was over, and they would revert to the start and play again. A popular game on the Flotilla.

 **Birzyt:** Children's game. Literal translation: Noisy plumbing. Though frowned upon publicly, any adult hearing the tapping would smile, having fond memories of their own childhood.

 **Hagrr'hizs:** Term used to refer to the intellectually challenged. Literal translation: Forever Children. Mentally retarded or damaged people of the quarian race. Though infrequent, more of these special needs children have been born lately.

 **Liz'elk:** Children's game. Literal translation: Balance and Timing. 3 sets of 1 meter poles attached to a central triangle. Each set comprised of 2 poles, separated by 6 centimeters. A 20 centimeter ball moved along the narrow track as the three players attempted to guide the ball to the center triangle. If the ball fell off, all lost, only by getting the ball to the center could the game be won.  **Liz'elk uuls**  refers to the game's hardware itself. The poles and ball.

 **Det Kazuat:** Term of curse, considered especially crude. Literal Translation: Living sack of excrement. The Otquer, a large predatory lizard, will pass its meal neatly wrapped in a membranous tissue. Inside the sack, the enzymes used to break down the meat of the prey while still in the lizard continue to act as a stimulant keeping the indigestible brain synapses of its last meal still working until the sun dries the sack out.

 **Usl'sa yze tabb:** Term of insult. Literal translation: Slow children of an inbred family.

 **Iaysaz:** Small horned predatory lizard, native of Rannoch. If hungry they will eat their own young.

 **Sdjum'jsauud:** The quarian version of the afterlife. Literal Translation: Homeplace of the Evil. Quarians believed in an afterlife as well. Although not with devils and angels and gods waiting for you, the quarians believed that when the wicked perished, they went to an afterlife of pain and suffering for all eternity. It was a ruse to rid of criminal activity, which is what eventually created the peaceful landscape of Rannoch all those years ago. Humans would call it "Hell."

 **S'geth:** Literal Translation: My geth. No explanation really required.

 **Oms:** Term for male genitalia. Female equivalent is  _Omsil._

 **Saera:** Term used when speaking to one's lifemate. Literal translation: My soul's soul. Other meanings include, but are not limited to: Keeper of my soul and My soul's protector. Most commonly used word throughout the fleet by a quarian when speaking privately to their lifemate. Though unconfirmed by any quarian, there are implications that this word holds extreme intimacy as well as absolute trust. No single human word or phrase encompassed all that this one short word implies as it appears to contain both dominance and submissive traits.

**I know this is another sad chapter, but it will get better. Newer revelations await, and a deadly threat is about to be unleashed. The Reapers, were only the beginning...**

**Anyway, I thought I'd explain a few things, in case you've either**

**1\. Read Callinstel's fanfics ('To Survive', 'To Survive: Alliances', 'To Survive: Terminus' and if it counts, 'After the Trial') but don't understand some bits.**

**or 2. You have not read any of the above and can't be bothered reading them.**

**Okay, my obvious solution to this is for me to explain. Now, for you lazy asses who can't be bother reading Callinstel's stories to understand, TOO BAD. Read them, or not. If you have time to read my fanfic, you sure as hell have time to read his. And trust me, once you start reading, you can't stop. THEY ARE SO GOOD.**

**Now, the whole Tali, Legion, and the quarians attacking Xen in her satellite and this 's'geth'? Okay, that was technically a scene from To Survive: Terminus, and technically not. Callinstel stated in his surprise last chapter all the scenes he planned for the story, and one of them was that. Basically, Shepard's entire crew would begin leaving him for reasons known as the events lead up to Mass Effect 3 and the Arrival DLC, and eventually, after a heartbreaking conversation (none of this actually happens though D:), Shepard convinces Tali to stay on Aeia as he goes to save Kenson, and leaves both she and Legion on Aeia (by this time, Kal and Lana had already left the crew). The rest is obvious as the geth find out about Xen's experiments and believe the quarian race had betrayed them, so they recalled all ambassador's back to Rannoch, hence the quarian attack on Rannoch in ME3.**

**S'geth was, in To Survive: Alliances and Terminus, Xen's secret geth servant. However, S'geth eventually turned against her, and rejoined the geth consensus during Tali's assault on the Communications hub. At this time, Shepard was placed under house arrest and after Tali planned to launch a rescue mission, he told her to stay away and she stayed on the Flotilla. Hence her absence at the start of ME3.**

**Now the comedy will start to die down as this gets more tense, but I assure you it will remain. Comedy in my opinion is the only reason this fanfic is still running, it would have died ages ago if not. And while I have the chance, I will pay my respects to Callinstel, who was not only my mentor in a way, but also the person who inspired the creation of this fanfic. He is essentially my Harbinger and the man/woman who, without he/she, you wouldn't be reading this and I wouldn't be typing this. To bit it simply, all credit for the quarian language and such go to Callinstel. The following characters were also created by Callinstel and incorporated into this fanfic.**

**Lana'Reegar, originally Lana'Shalgur. First Appears in TS: Alliances.**

**Tia, minor character in TS: Alliances.**

**Malra'Gerrel. First Appears in TS: Alliances.**

**Garu'Raan. First Appears in TS: Alliances.**

**S'geth.**

**Ambassador/Bravo. One of the two new geth crewmembers on the Normandy during its repairs. First appears in TS: Alliances.**

**Romeo. The second of the two new geth crewmembers on the Normandy during its repairs. First appears in TS: Alliances.**

**Tross'Larik and Allia.**

**Taigan'Latsow**

**All I can remember writing about.**

**Here are the other things he came up with.**

**(Remember, not everything is his. Some I created using his current stuff as building blocks)**

**The Language: He developed the translation for bosh'tet and other words are as follows:**

**Biea, Birzyt, Catyn, Culz'illm, Det Kazuat, Dev'alin, Erast, Felz'tiyl, Hagrr'hizs, Hecs'tiyl, Hrarxa, Iaysaz, Liz'elk, Inszel, Nehya, Oparqiit, Ogwer, Pal'tec vis Surden, Pemla'tiyl, Realk, Saera, Tilgrap, Usl'sa yze tabb, Unastali, Omxa il maaw, Vasei.**

**I plan to incorporate the rest of his quarian vocabulary when possible, while adding to it.**

**He developed the following ideas:**

**Lifemates, Quarian cities, all scenes referenced before Mass Effect 3, the Conclave layout and how they carry out democracy (see final chapters of TS: Alliances for details), the migrant fleet art, the priestess of compassion, Quarian clans, quarian children and all lot of others.**

**So when you read this fanfic, think of Callinstel's epicly amazing fanfic. Because when I write this, I know I do. Its the only reason I'm still going. :)**

**Chapter 28 might be delayed and might not be. Depends on what sort of mood I'm in. Sometimes I open the document and have to watch some videos (AngryJoe, Tobuscus, Machinima, Manslayer's gamer poops, Halo4Follower, etc.) before I finally get the motivation. Sometimes all it takes is writing a few words and the next thing you know. BOOM! New chapter added. Other times, I just give up and leave it to the next day. Don't get me wrong, I love writing this, but even I need a break. Oh, and Halo 4 was a BIG DISAPPOINTMENT. Campaign wasn't worth the five years waited, multiplayer was codified, Spartan Ops you will forget about after waiting for the latest episode to come out and Forge is...argh...even Reach had better stuff. Impact is AWESOME THOUGH! :D Just thought you should know.**

**:)**

"Don't worry about Gerrel. With his lifemate following him around day in, day out, and the thoughts of 17 million people dwelling on him, he might just get the point. He'll learn that firing on ships that contain the best chance for our people's survival just isn't the brighest idea. Especially a hope that loses his temper so quickly."

\- Admiral Zaal'Koris vas Qwib Qwib


	29. Rescue Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shepard and Tali are held captive. A surprise gift puts a wrench in Xen's plans. A fallen threat rises once again.

_**Rescue Plan** _

_John! John! John, please wake up! JOHN!_ Wake up he did. Shepard's world came back to him in one massive blur. All he could see was the blurred image of a quarian's mask looking straight at him, her face creased in worry, holding his face with her hands. He shook his head to rid himself of the daze. The blur disappeared almost immediately, and he saw that he was in a cell, Cerberus by the wall insignias, and was lying on the ground.

Tali was crouched next to him, still shaking him. "John?" she asked, her voice in a soft whisper. Her tone implied she was scared or worried. Probably a mixture of both. He raised his hand to reassure her that he was alright. Tali didn't immediately back off though. As he sat up, he took another look around. "Where are we?" is all he could ask. The room looked devoid of anything. The Cerberus insignias made it obvious they were on a Cerberus ship or base. He rolled over and immediately put his head to the floor, listening. No humming machinery indicating spaceflight, so they were planetside. "How long was I out?"

Tali answered as he rolled back over, "I have no idea. I only woke up 16 minutes ago, and they were questioning me. Don't worry, no interrogation or anything. When I told them I knew nothing, they threw me in here and 5 minutes later, they bring you in. Are you okay?" Tali said the last line with extreme worry. She was all tense, she looked like a petrified little child. Of course, she had every reason too, they had no idea what horrors Cerberus had planned. And Xen... _That traitorous bitch. Why did I not see her treachery coming._

"I'm fine, don't worry about me. What about you? You took one hell of a beating from those assholes." Shepard jumped up and began examining the back of her suit, which had swelled up noticably. Tali winced as he laced his fingers over the injuries, "It really hurts. Like a migraine, but all over my back. The pain was blinding before, but its died down, but it still really hurts John." Shepard stopped touching the bruising, as it was obviously causing Tali discomfort, and moved back to sitting in front of her. He raised one hand up to her cheek, caressing it. "Don't worry, I'll find a way out of here."

Tali looked at the ground and nodded, not out of optimism, but out of desperation. What if they had kidnapped Rael? Or killed him? Or what if they bombed Unastali and...No, she couldn't think of it. She wouldn't. The thoughts brought to much pain. Shepard smiled and rested his forehead on her visor, and they both looked into each other's eyes. Tali smiled weakly and Shepard kissed her visor before standing up, offering her help. She took it, and together they began searching the room, getting a feel for where they were.

The room was basically full of Cerberus. Everywhere they went, Cerberus had made sure they knew exactly where they were. Every meter of wall had Cerberus eyesores, as he called them, all over their brown, rusted cover. Bits and pieces of rusted, useless steel poles littered the room, mostly residing in the corner's. A cyclonic barrier was active in the doorway, as the door appeared to be non-functional, or simply, there wasn't one. The room looked like an old apartment, except the residents were either killed, they moved and the room hasn't been rented since or the simply hasn't been used. Decommissioned maybe. For all he knew, this entire apartment building could be on Omega, or Illium, or the Citadel, or...or anywhere!

"This cyclonic barrier is very weak, it uses the fields emitted by the original prototype. Its the weaker version of the technology I used to upgrade the Normandy's shields with the Cyclonic barrier tech. This should be easy to overload, just let me get my omnitool. She reached out to activate it, but found it gone. "They took my omnitool. Oh don't tell me they...!" Tali started fiddling with her suit, looking through pockets and everything. "NO!" She was really panicing now. She was scared before, but now she was terrified. He tried to calm her down. He embraced her, whispering words of reassurement. "Sssshhhhh...what's wrong  _Saera_?" Tali was shaking horribly. "They took...they took my...nutrient paste. All of it. John, I have no food. Within 2 days I'll...I'll...die without food." Shepard's eyes widened and looked down at his lifemate.

 _Shit. Now I feel hopeless. I felt like there was nothing in the world that could stop me from protecting her, but now they've exploited her one main, critical weakness. Cerberus bastards._ He let go of Tali and looked up at the corner of the room, where he saw a single camera, "What do you want from me! Is it information? Myself? What!? If you want to kill me just do it! But leave Tali out of this! Let her go and take me!" He felt frustrated when he heard no response from the camera. Angry, he jumped up and ripped the camera clean from its socket, throwing it on the ground and stomping on it.

Tali gripped his arm, "John, you know I could never leave you. They try and let me go, and I'll stay, I'm not abandoning my lifemate." Shepard turned to her, his face still creased in the anger he had since learnt to keep under lock and key, "And what of Rael Tali? This isn't just about us anymore, I want Rael to grow up with a family that loves him. Parents, he deserves a proper mother and father, and if we die? What happens then? He gets sent to an orphanage! Or worse, he could get disowned! He needs a parent, and he needs you!" Shepard tried to reason with her. Rael maybe one of the reasons, but the main reason was simply his sheer love for his lifemate. Her safety always came above all else. As long as she was safe and secure and not dying, he could be calm and at peace.

Tali started to get angry, "NO! I don't want Rael growing up with just one parent! I don't him to go through with what I did with Rael and Meru! No! It's all parents or none! Please John, I'm staying. I'll never leave you until I know your safe, and even then, I shall never leave your side. You come with me, or I'm staying. Its as simple as that." Tali then embraced him, making sure to hold her lifemate close. She didn't want to let go, she REFUSED to let him go. He was her world, without him, life had no meaning.  _I will not go through what I did after the Normandy attack. After Harbinger's beams of death. I will not lose him a third time!_

Shepard finally gave in and returned the hug, squeezing hard. He expected her to complain, but she didn't, she just held him like there was no tommorrow, and their most likely wouldn't be. "I...love you. Always." Shepard whispered in her ear. She didn't need to respond, only to tap his head with her visor. The moment was ruined when he heard the barrier shut down and a squad of heavily armed Cerberus commandos entered, followed by a large human with a batton. He held Tali close, even though they broke the embrace to face their assailants.

The squad took positions around the doorway. He eyed them suspiciously, but none as closely as the soldier with the batton. His name tag read, 'Warrant Officer II Bradley F. Faringar.' What the fuck do you-" Shepard didn't get to finish his sentence as the soldier whacked him furiously in the head, knocking him to the ground. He immediately felt pathetic. His eye swelled shut as the bruising encompassed his forehead. He turned over but was immediately picked up by two soldiers and held. "JOHN!" He saw Tali immediately whack the batton out of Bradley's hand. He tried to respond with a powerful front kick, but Tali, being the nimble woman that she was, easily strafed left and she managed to kick him in the quad. He reeled back in pain, but not before two soldiers restrained her.

He tried to shake free, afraid of what they'd do to her. Connor recovered from Tali's attack and approached Tali. "Well, Mrs. Shepard, I was told I was allowed to have a little fun with you..." Bradley stroked Tali's mask pervertedly, and then took it off. She was about to squeel, but held it back and resisted her captor's grip even further. It was fruitless, female strength was laughable to male's. Plus, these soldiers were enhanced and augmentated with upgrades, making them even stronger.

Bradley took the mask down to his side and gazed at Tali's beautiful features. Shepard was disgusted by this man's actions.  _What is he-_  His unasked question was answered when Bradley leaned forward and put his hands on her hips. She spat in his face. Shepard's fists clenched.  _How dare he touch my lifemate._ He said as he tried again, "LOTS of fun...don't struggle quarian. I'm going to give you a world of pleasure" Shepard was now REALLY repulsed by this poor excuse of humanity. This guy was obviously a sick rapist, as he seemed to be treating Tali like a pleasure machine. He wanted so much to reach out and snap the bastard's neck. Bradley had obviously errored in his judgment when he leaned forward to begin pervertedly kissing her neck, because the next thing she did was remarkable.

She growled, loudly, her primal instincts taking action. She bit his neck, her teeth sinking into it. He yelled in pain, "GET THIS CRAZY BITCH OFF ME!" Shepard was flabbergasted when he saw blood trailed out of Bradley's neck. She was like a vampire, just that he loved her. He smiled,  _That's what you get asshole._ The Cerberus troopers restraining Tali pulled back and one trooper shot her in the leg. Shepard felt his body move on its own, trying to defend his lifemate. The trooper's had too firm of a grip. Bradley got back up and cradled his neck, smiling horribly.  _What parents raised this sicko?_

Bradley leaned forward and stroked her cheek. She tried to bite it, but she couldn't. Bits of blood were left all around her mouth. "You are full of energy aren't you? I guess I'll have to restrain you for our pleasure session. Xen likes to call it interrogation, but I think you'll find it very entertaining." Shepard could hold back nomore as he saw him grip her buttocks. "GET YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF HER YOU SICK PIECE OF SHIT!" Bradley immediately reeled back, as if examining his hands. He then turned to Shepard. As he moved forward, he executed a punch into his stomach, making Shepard winded. He didn't relent. He looked straight into Bradley's face and added his spit to Tali's, making itself welcome in his open mouth. He said with as much venom as he could as he looked at Bradley's wound, "I hope it hurt you sick asshole."

"Come on. I'm only looking for a good time. Noone owns this quarian." Shepard began to flare in anger again.  _Owns this quarian. He treats her like property. Having a good time, how dare he look for a good time in my lifemate. My wife._ "Look for fun somewhere else. You touch my lifemate again, I'll rip your fucking hands off and make you eat them you sack of excrement. Noone owns her, she's a free woman, you'll treat her as such or-" Once again he was cut off as Bradley punched him in the face. Tali still struggled with her restrainers, but they were just too strong. Connor moved back to Tali, looking her in the eyes with a want, a lust. This asshole better not be thinking of what he thought he was...

Tali eyed her mask in Bradley's hand, and he noticed this. "You want this don't you pretty girl?" He then threw it towards Shepard, impacting his head and clattering on the ground. "Well, you won't need it for what I've got planned in your questionnaire. Come on boys, its time to do a little exploring." He motioned for the soldiers to follow him, dragging Tali along. The soldiers on his sides just dropped him where he stood. Tali gave him a glance of worry, concern and the one thing that hurt him the most: Terror. She was going to be raped, and he had to do something about it.

"TALI! NO!" He got up and ran towards the door. Before any could react, he grabbed one of his previous captors and reared the weapon to his jaw, pulling the trigger. The shot ignited his face, leaving clumps of blood and gore on the ceiling, he entire front portion of his face gone. Taking the rifle he shot his other captor in the chest. He turned to engage Tali's captors, but when he went to pull the trigger, nothing happened. He looked to see red streaks indicating sparks coming out of the weapon's stock.  _Sabotage._ He threw the weapon away and charged, but only met a wall of tech armor as Bradley stepped in front of him.

He felt himself thrown away. "JOHHHHNNNNNNN!" Tali shouted desperately. He slammed into the wall, but immediately leapt up. His lifemate needed him, and he sure as hell wasn't letting this sicko exploit her. He charged forward again, but it was too late. Bradley and the rest of the squad, including Tali were behind the barrier, which reactivated. He charged into it, receiving only electrical charge. He looked into Tali's eyes one more time as she began struggling again. He saw two things; sorrow, the birth of tears. He began rustling around the room as he tried to find another way out, but it was hopeless. All he could hear was Tali's desperate cries fade into the background as he slumped to the ground, defeated.

Tears welled up in his eyes as Tali's cries for help, cries of desperation faded completely. He began to weep.  _I was meant to protect her, and I failed. Damn it! I FAILED!_ As Shepard looked at the ground, he noticed a shimmer from behind him. Looking backwards, he saw Tali's mask, left discarded on the floor. He crawled towards it and picked it up in both hands. He saw tears, his own, landing on the visor's interior, a testament to the quarian woman's fate. He hugged the mask tightly, as if it was his favourite teddy bear in childhood, and began sobbing into it.

_I failed. And now, Tali's paying the price for it._

...

"How the hell do we rescue them if we have no idea where they are?" Jack asked, quite loudly. The whole crew was in the cargo port of Unastali. They had begun packing things onto a shuttle for transference to the Neema, which Malra had decided to lend to them to rescue Shepard and Tali. Garrus sighed. As Shepard's third-in-command, Garrus was in command of the crew. He sighed again, and turned to the angry, impatient human biotic.

"Simple, we scan every planet that Cerberus ever set up on. Sanctum, Ontarom, Noveria, Gellix, Benning all of them. Every single one." Jack's face creased in anger as she swivelled around and kicked a box nearby. Jacob and Miranda looked up from their work to see the commotion but after seeing Jack, they immediately returned to work. They were definitely not going to be involved in whatever was going on.

"So where going to search these planets one by one?" Jack asked. Garrus figured it was a rhetorical question, so he just nodded. Jack rolled her eyes and stormed off. As Garrus turned back around he heard Jack yelling at Conrad, "HEY YOU! YEAH YOU DICKHEAD! WHY DON'T YOU HELP ME WITH THIS SHIT!" He heard Jack throw more profanities at Conrad before it faded into the distance, leaving him smiling inside. A massive part of him still worried about what Cerberus was doing to Shepard and Tali.  _Torture? Interrogation? Execution? Public humiliation?_ There was any number of things they could be doing to them. He felt so hopeless that he couldn't help them.

He looked over at Joker and the rest of the non-combatant crew and immediately lost his smile. EDI was comforting Joker, while Chakwas and Samantha were talking about something he couldn't quite make out. Gardner was trying to cheer everyone up with food, but it obviously wasn't working, and Judy and Ellen were simply engaging in dialogue about Shepard's well being. Everyone was worried about their friends, their family. Garrus knew that when he encounted whoever now led Cerberus, he would place a bullet squarely between his or her eyes, without hesitation.

Without giving his surroundings a second thought, he crouched back down and motioned to lift the next crate. Sliding his arms under quickly, he lifted the crate up, utilizing his turian strength and then turned and began walking steadily towards the shuttle. This thing wasn't your standard kodiak, this thing was a heavy lifter. It was 5 times larger, slower, but was able to carry a crew of 50, even with it packed to the brim with large crates, equipment and munitions. It was built with a dropship in mind, but eventually got converted into a heavy lifter. By the look of the architecture, it looked like a reconfigured design used by the quarian's during the Morning War, most likely a  _Utilghd_ -class.

As he opened the door, he lay the crate down and slid it inside. The interior was basic, with clad colored walls and steel support frames. The cockpit was located far up front while behind them was seating, as it was originally designed for quarian aerial deployment troops. The rest was just complete open space. He hit the button to close again and had to duck and weave through quarian and geth workers before reaching his original area. He crouched to pick up his last crate when he felt eyes trained on his back, seeing right through him. He wanted to throw the feeling away as stupid, but he just couldn't. Unable to resist, his C-Sec training kicking into action, Garrus spun around.

He saw nothing at first, but then he noticed a single quarian, male by suit and sexual dimorphism, looking straight at him, at least 10 or 15 meters away. Garrus looked the quarian in the eyes, and for a second, he would have guessed he was just a kid, then he saw the fabric, or realk, or whatever they called it and his poster.  _An Admiral._ Garrus saw the male approach and as soon as he stood in front of him, he snapped to attention. He may not be quarian or part of the quarian military, but he knew when to show respect. He always respected authority, and this quarian was an admiral, and quarian admirals must earn their place. Respect was earned. Xen was a different story though...

But this wasn't Xen. So he waited for the quarian to return his salute. But he didn't, instead he shook his head. "You're not quarian Garrus, so stop acting like it. If anything, I should salute you. Your a hero, I just order ships around, the bastard I am." The quarian chuckled. Garrus laughed as well, before regaining his posture. "Well, Admiral. I'm going to guess your Han'Gerrel? Admiral Han'Gerrel vas Rannoch?" The quarian nodded. "Yes indeed." Garrus' face creased in anger. "The one who almost blew up the ship Shepard was on." Han went to retort, but knew the turian was right, and looked at the ground in shame.

"Yes...well, that was, foolish of me. I was desperate and...I let my desperation get the better of me. I just wanted our people on the homeworld..." Garrus stopped him by holding his hands up, "Its okay Admiral, I forgive you, as has Shepard and Tali. Besides, here you are, Rannoch." Han looked up and smiled. "Please, do stop calling me Admiral. It's just Han, or Gerrel to people like you. Besides, the Admiralty Board as long been disolved. I'm techincally what you humans would call Chief of Staff, or Secretary of Defense. I control, quite literally, the entire quarian military, from ground forces to our naval fleets. Everything." Garrus nodded in astoundment. He also smiled inside at the thought of Hackett and Gerrel going back to back, arms crossed like gansters with "don't fuck with us" written all over their faces as the combined Alliance and Quarian fleets fly over their heads.

"Impressive. Not to be rude or curt, but did you come down here for a reason?"  _How much I sounded like James just then._ Han nodded in understanding, "Not at all. I just noticed you were packing up for an op. Anything I should know about?" Garrus nodded, "As you already know, Shepard and Tali were kidnapped. Were launching a rescue op. Sweep through all known previously Cerberus occupied areas." Han nodded, "And I heard Malra lended her ship to you. Not common when she does that, Shepard really did grow on her, although I overheard him mocking her when he said, 'gentle soul.' She really is." Garrus wanted to laugh.  _Gentle Soul. Ha! When she caught me not moving the crates she specified on the Normandy, she started insulting me and telling me to hurry my ass up before she threw her boot up my ass. Gentle Soul indeed._

"He's our Captain, and Tali my sister. I won't abandon them in a time of need." Han nodded again, as if in agreement. "Yes, but sweeping those individual systems takes time. And what if you don't find him on either? Are you just going to search every individual cluster, system and planet?" Garrus didn't even hesitate when he nodded. Han considered this.  _Yes, its ready. It's definitely ready._ "Rally your crew outside. I have a surprise for you." Without waiting for an answer, Han turned and went back outside, the sunlight dancing on his suit, basking its internal brightness upon him. Garrus simply shrugged and keyed his communicator, signalling everyone to meet outside the cargo port.

Once done, he followed Han outside. He noticed EDI and Joker walking past, Joker only beating his fast stride due to EDI's assistance. Everyone else, Samantha, Dr. Chakwas, Judy, Ellen, Gardner, Gabby, Adams and Ken, matched Garrus' walking pace as he followed Han, all giving the quarian defense minister the same look he was; curiosity. What did Gerrel have in mind? Once outside, he noticed the whole group outside and Gerrel had stopped in front of them. They all gave him curious glances as he began working his way through the crowd and towards the front.

He finally broke past Liara and James and emerged in front of the group. He looked up at Han, "Now what?" Gerrel nodded, "Follow me." Garrus nodded and turned to the crew, "You heard the man, let's go." Garrus' curiosity was peaked. What was so important that Gerrel had to keep it secret and it involved his whole crew? And why did he feel like it connected to Shepard and Tali's current predicament? The whole crew followed him like they were playing a game of 'follow the leader' or that popular human game, 'simon says.' They all followed him in what was close to being single file, but not quite. It was jumbled up mismatch.

For what seemed like a long time, the crew and himself followed Gerrel fast, making sure they didn't lose themselves in the quarian crowds. It wasn't along before they were travelling the outskirts of the city. Not towards Tali's house, but towards where the 'Reaper base' was during the Battle of Rannoch. It took them a good 5 minutes via Makos to get to the site, and once outside they were shown to the top of a hill where Gerrel stood.

"Over this hill, is one HELL of a surprise for you." Everyone's curiosity couldn't hold in, especially Joker's as he pushed EDI to her assistance limits as he rushed ahead. Once ontop, the look on Joker's face made it all the more better. "MY BABY!" Joker shouted. Garrus couldn't hold it no more. He ran up and was immediately welcomed by a beautiful site, one he thought he'd never see again. Everyone was absolutely flabbergasted, including himself. Words weren't needed, their looks told all, especially Han'Gerrel. He smiled at their looks of bemusement and continued to say loudly, "My friends, behold the..." He stopped as Joker filled in the words for him.

"...Normandy SR-3." He then immediately stopped talking. The ship was alot bigger than it was originally, MUCH bigger, it dwarfed the Normandy SR-2. It had thicker armor, more devices he didn't recognize and a bigger armament. This thing looked like a dreadnought on drugs, a Corvette-Dreadnought, the speed of a Corvette, the armament and armor of a Dreadnought. Garrus looked at his crew, "So, shall we test it?" Han laughed, "It's all yours. I'll tell Malra she can keep her ship now. I'll think she'll be as equally happy." He laughed further as they ran down the hill towards the SR-3. Yes, built by quarian and geth builders. He then keyed Garrus' comm as he walked off, "Hope you don't mind the jumble of quarian and geth crew." Garrus was out of his mind, "YES! Shepard and Tali are going to LOVE this!"

Han continued to smile as he walked back to Unastali. From not very far away, a very angry Xen was watching.

...

Tali struggled as the trooper lay her on the bed and cuffed her. Now tied to the bed, all Tali could do was watch as Bradley ordered his men to leave.  _I have to find a way out, and fast. I'm not letting this igra lay his hands on me. Help me John Please._ She knew it was fruitless, even he couldn't hope to break through that barrier. Now she was deeply worried of what this man would do to her.

Bradley sadistically smiled as he looked at her body, up and down, as if inspecting her. "Good. You're the goddess of hips, I'll give you that. Time to work that G-spot of yours. If you quarians have one." Without even being careful, he began tugging at her lower suit straps. Her face lit up.  _Only John had been allowed to touch me this intimately, now I've got this igra exploiting me. I could do with a miracle. Ancestors guide John to my salvation, please!_ Before she knew, she had removed the lower portion of her suit and thrown it away. Everything below her waist was now exposed to this poor excuse of homo sapien. He nodded in impression as he looked at her. He shook his head, mockingly. "No, not enough. I think the whole suit has to come off." Before she could react, he removed the top portion of her suit, showing her breasts. He cupped them in his hands tightly.  _Oh that's it._ Tali waited until he was close enough before grabbing his head with both her feet.

Before the soldier could even react, she twisted them sideways and in a blink, snapped his neck. Bradley's body crumbled to the ground in a heap. Immediately, she began working on the cuffs. They used similiar ones on the fleet, so she was alien to their design, she had been taught by her father how to break out of them. Working her magic, she managed to break out of one of them, and used her free hand to easily break out of the other. Cradling her saw wrists, she didn't waste time in retrieving the top portion of her suit and taking her time to strap it back properly. Once back she went to retrieve her waist section. Noticing Bradley's body, she prepared a large ball of spit, and landed it right in his face.

"That's for even touching me you bosh'tet." Tali moved and picked up her waist section, strapping it back into position, and quickly rechecking for any errors. She only realized now that she had no mask.  _I'll be getting sick soon._ Her first objective was too free John, and then get out of this base and warn the republic of Xen's treachery.  _Probably ran off back to Rannoch to play innocent. Our friends will know were missing, they'll come for us._ She grabbed the holstered sidearm on Bradley's waist, a M-358 Talon, and checked to make sure it was loaded. She was surprised when she found it fully loaded and Bradley holding thermal clips on his belt.

 _Strange that he would walk into a room, prepared to rape me, holding a fully loaded weapon. He really should have read my dossier. Cuffs won't hold me long._ She smiled as she approached the door. She keyed the code to open it, but it didn't budge. "Please enter code." Tali clicked her fingers in her epiphany, something she learned from humans, and approached Bradley's body, snatching his keycard. She approached the door and waved the card over the console, and it registered. Beeping, the door opened as she stood right in front of it. She was met by the barrels of two Mattock heavy rifles, wielded by 2 Cerberus troopers. In front of her, another Cerberus soldier, much like Bradley, but higher in rank. A general by the look of it, he held a batton.

He clicked his tongue. She dropped the keycard and immediately levelled the pistol at the general's head. His name tag read, 'Major General Connor U. Faringar.'  _Keelah, I just killed his brother._ "Very naughty, trying to escape. Not only is your attempt redundant, but I should be killing you right now. But Xen and our...leader wants you alive." Tali gripped the pistol steadily, "Move out of my way,  _igra_. I'm going to get John and leave. You will not stop me." Connor laughed and frowned, "I'm not like my brother quarian. My brother was a moronic idiot, and I have to say, he deserved what you did to him. I was strongly considering doing that myself. Nice execution by the way. He really was a  _igra._ " Tali was shocked.  _Cerberus can speak khelish? No, this is all a trap. Their trying to delude me into a state of safety, don't fall for it._

Connor continued, "Come on, my boss is on the way, and I don't want to disappoint." Tali smiled smugly, "What a pity. I don't care about your pathetic life, your Cerberus, and you murdered thousands of people just to control the Reapers. Your monsters. Now, what have you done to John? If you've hurt him, I'll kill EVERY LAST one of you!" Connor rolled his eyes, "Xen was right when she said you were defiant. Your lifemate is fine, for now. But keep this up, and I might have to kill him." Tali wanted to consider dropping the pistol, but what if their lying? They most definitely must be. She had to ask though, "If I drop the pistol and surrender, will I return to John?" She just wanted to be in his arms. That, until rescue arrived.

Connor didn't even hesitate, "I promise, but only if you surrender. Now, drop the pistol and make it look like I captured you." Tali was surprised by this human's willingness to both help her and not help her. She had no choice but to trust him. She lowered the pistol and put her hands behind her head. Connor walked behind her and pointed his pistol into her back, the troopers taking his rear. She closed her eyes, expecting the pistol to fire and everything to go black, but it didn't. This human, Connor, Cerberus, kept his promise.  _For now at least._

She heard footsteps before finally a human in black uniform appeared in the doorway. She read the name tag, which read simply, 'Hawk.' The soldier looked like Kai Leng, but alot more intimidating. He had thicker muscle, he had numerous cybernetic implants coupled with the posture of a ex-N7 commando. His body glowed slightly, indicating biotics. Yes, Cerberus' new leader suited well.  _Damn it Tali, you're not here to review him, your here so you can get back to John!_ Hawk looked at Tali and smiled, evilly, "Ah, Captain Zorah, a pleasure to meet you."

Tali didn't take the preoffered hand. She ignored it. Seeing her reaction, Hawk pulled away, but he didn't look surprised. He simply kept smiling. "Yes, I do hope you enjoy your stay here, as you will be spending alot of time here. Possibly the rest of your life if your luck holds up. You and Shepard will make fine additions to Cerberus." Tali just laughed, "Trust me, Vido tried this crap, and he ultimately failed. I don't see you fairing any better." Hawk simply motioned his head to indicate she had a point. Not that she wanted his approval.

His posture indicated one of leadership, but something was nagging at her, telling her something wasn't quite right. She had to ask, "Are you Cerberus' leader?" Connor rolled his eyes at the quarian's answer, while Hawk gave her a examining look. "Of course he is you idiot..." Connor wasn't able to finish as Hawk butted in. "No, actually, I'm not. You see, I'm not fit to follow as leader, so someone else had to fill his place." Connor was flabbergasted, as was Tali and the troopers. "Then who's in charge?" Tali asked. Connor didn't object, he was just as curious, even though he should be subduing his prisoner.

Hawk smiled, "Allow me to  _reintroduce..._ " Tali frowned,  _Reintrodu-_ She didn't get to finish as the man walked into the doorway. Her mouth dropped.  _Impossible..._ He wore the same uniform, held the same cigar, and the same creepy eyes. The man smiled, "I AM Cerberus, Mrs. Shepard. I thought you had realized already that idea isn't so easily destroyed."

It was the Illusive Man.

**Chapter was rushed. No time for translations, sorry :( But you probably know most of the words anyway.**

"It is good that war is so terrible, lest we should grow fond of it."

\- General Robert E. Lee


	30. Illusive Intentions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The SR-3 deploys. Tali finds an unlikely savior.

_**Illusive Intentions** _

The new Normandy looked purely amazing. There was a total of 6 decks now, Captain's Quarters, CIC, Crew Deck, Hangar, Engineering and the Shuttle Bay. The Captain's Quarters had been completely revamped and was much bigger, with built-in airlock, a bigger shower with a bath tub, a larger office for Shepard and another office for Tali next to it. The steps lead down into the main area where a single, double bed lay, accompanied by a sofa, a music console, clothing selector and a dinner table. The fish tank lay where it was originally, but now had additional Rannochian wildlife. The bed covers had the color and patterns of Clan Zorah, and the plaque had been put back, the migrant fleet artwork back above their bed and the priestess of compassion on Tali's desk in her office. A picture lay on, presumably Shepard's side of the bed.

The CIC was back to its original Cerberus design. The galaxy map stayed in much the same fashion, with a hologram of the Normandy, red in color, projected in front of it, bits of pieces labelled. Shepard's private terminal had been completely moved to his office in his cabin, and Tali given her own, as second in command and Samantha was back to her original position. The Armoury was back, but noticably bigger. They latest weapons, developed by the quarians and geth, along with reaper weapons were fitted as per standard, and Jacob, Kal, Lana, James and Kirrahe had immediately made themselves at home. The Newer debriefing of the new SR-2 which replaced Mordin's tech lab, was now contained the new war room. It had much the same design, with the quantum entanglement communicator at the back and the holographic projector in the middle. The older War Room was now replaced by a combat simulation room, complete with built in enemies such as Reapers, Cerberus, mercs, pirates etc. For some reason, it still had Kelly has an enemy, as Grunt feared her truly. It even had the crew as enemies, so that they could see their own strengths and weaknesses and combat them.

The Cockpit was now a full on bridge. A Captain's chair lay in the middle of the massive room, with a second chair on its right for the XO, in this case Tali, and a third on its left for the third in command, so the chair belonged to him, Garrus. Joker's helm rested in front of the main viewscreen. EDI had a station next to him. A third station lay on Joker's left, taken by a quarian. The bridge was based on standard quarian design; commander in the middle, lifemate to the right, XO to the left, three helmsman up front and numerous consoles around him. Most of the bridge crew was also quarians and geth. The cockpit also had a giant dome around it, allowing a perpetual view of space.

The Crew's Deck hadn't changed much. Life Support had stayed much the same, however the view of the drive core had been reasserted. The Crew's quarters was much bigger however, with everyone getting small, individual cabins. Garrus got the biggest one, as on quarian vessels, captains got slightly bigger ones but since the quarian's knew of Alliance design and followed it, they gave the third in command, himself of course, the Captain's cabin. The Lounge made way for Kasumi, and its knew arrival, Chief as they strode in. The main lounge was much bigger, with more sofas and was now, technically, the new Mess Hall. There were numerous tables and a big table in the middle. The poker table had been replaced with a small, two person table, evidently reserved for Captain and XO's use only.

The original mess hall now only served as a recreational center. Poker and numerous board games could be played here. Gardner's kitchen of course made its home in the original Lounge, so it was now replaced by gaming tables, including a cupboard of all the most popular video games: Halo (which ironically had a soldier named Master Chief), Alliance Corsairs the quadrilogy, Galaxy of Fantasy, Morning War the trilogy and many others. Ironically, a new game had been released called Mass Effect 3 that was based on Shepard himself. However, I don't think Tali would take well to the idea of the player being able to romance OTHER members of the crew. A game even devoted to Tali as a main character called Morning War: Project Haestrom was part of the collection. Another game called Archangel Chronicles was going to come out too, and he could already tell what THAT was about.

The XO's office was back to being Liara's little lab. It had the basic shadow broker stuff, with even more stuff added. Glyph had been upgraded with weapons and more information processors while Liara now had a geth assistant (not enslaved!) named Hercules. Chakwas had almost chucked a happy fit when she saw her new medical bay. Not only did it have a full catalogue of every species' physiology and the equipment to repair damaged geth, but it had more beds and had the most state-of-the-art technology money could buy. The AI Core was converted into a geth server node housing facility, a area for geth to retreat to and recharge. Basically the geth quarters.

The Gunnery station as well, his beloved gunnery station, was also vastly improved. His console had been lowered a level and he was given access to a complete new set of consoles. He also worked alongside geth and quarian weapon experts, but he was soley in charge. The guns were improved, everything was improved. Samara and, surprisingly, Jack, had made home in the Starboard Observation, which lay mostly unchanged, apart from the numerous quarian housing areas. The male and female toilets now supported every species, quarian, asari, turian, everyone. The memorial wall had been moved to the Hangar.

The Hangar was fantastic, allowing the frigate to not only become a dreadnought, but a carrier as well. While the Shuttle Bay was just for well, Shuttles, the Hangar was for fighters. The Hangar wasn't massive, but it was big. 7 Trident fighters along with 4 Quarian  _Haoon_ -class fighters and 2 geth interceptors. A single large door lay at the end of the hangar for the release of fighters and numerous consoles for the launching and repairing of fighters. The memorial wall lay on the back wall, bigger than ever. Two versions of it stood, one in english, and the other in khelish. The names of the fallen rested.  _Jenkins. Kaidan. Mordin. Thane. Gavn. Illin. Anderson._

Engineering was a haven for engineers. It still had the same view over the Shuttle Bay and still had the same basic layout. The Garbage Disposal Area had been removed and replaced by a clean room, which was for, well, it was obvious. It still baffled why something like that wasn't on the crew deck. This annoyed Zaeed, but he nevertheless moved to the Shuttle Bay. Engineering changed as well. Jack's hidey hole was absorbed by Engineering and became a part of it. The Stairs were tossed aside and replaced by what looked like private offices. The left stairs had become Tali's private engineering office. Entering Main engineering, it wasn't changed much. A mini elevator now lead into Jack's area, which was used only for maintenance, and was located where Adams once resided. The Drive core now had protective shielding and a blast door was located at its entrance, to vent off a core breach. Gabby and Ken's work benches were located where they've always been, spearheaded by a third, Adams'. They also had a second screen above them, allowing them to run simulations for their experiments. Grunt's old room, now Javik's, had been converted into a sparring arena. Javik and Grunt had since settled in and began sparring regularly.

The Shuttle Bay, now Zaeed's domain, was the same size. Apart from the removal of James' and Cortez's armouries, nothing much had changed apart from the addition of a prototype shuttle utilizing Reaper technology and two perfected UT-47B Kodiaks, which used perfected stealth technology. Garrus' loved all the new features but now he had to know.  _What else does this baby have? I know the weapons, but armor? Stealth? What?_ Garrus stopped behind Joker, "So Joker, so how does our new baby run?" Joker turned towards him in his electric spinning chair, which could convert into a wheelchair at will.  _The quarians and geth really have considered everything. If they could build this, how many more of these could the build? Their fleet would be unstoppable!_ Joker's face lit up, "Smooth. Beautiful Surene. SR-1 was good, but SR-2 dwarfed it. But this thing? SHIT! It blows the SR-2 out of the water! Makes it look like a bunch of scrap metal! And its mental how this thing works! Come here and observe..."

Garrus inched closer as Joker accellerated. Garrus widened his eyes at their speed. Two thing surprised him; they moved faster than the original SR-2, and they, well, moved fast. This thing was so big, you'd think it'd be a slow piece of junk. Joker laughed in awe, waving his arms around, "You see that! Beautiful! Gorgeous! Damn, we were saying how good Cerberus were at making ships but the quarians and geth are ship building wizards! And that's not all! EDI!" Garrus turned to EDI, who had also fully integrated into the new Normandy's systems. She turned to them, smiling away. "There's so much stuff, its too much for Joker to handle without him jumping up and down and wetting himself in excitement." Joker just laughed, "But this baby is like my lifemate! SR-1 was a beauty, SR-2 was a marvel, SR-3 is my goddamn favourite toy of all time! Except for you honey..." The quarians in the room didn't seem distracted, they just continued working.

EDI smiled, "Ah yes, the specfics of this work of art." Garrus held up his hands, "Before you start I know of the armament. We have our thanix cannon back, but this time it has been perfected using salvaged Reaper tech and packs more of a punch now. Literally destroys a Sovereign Class Reaper in one shot. We also have a full compliment of 550 Javelin Torpedoes, an assortment of GARDIAN laser turrets, a bow mounted MAC and numerous ship-to-ship gatling weapons." EDI nodded, "Precisely. We are a fast, speedy dreadnought. We also have quite a large continegent of 13 fighters with Tridents, quarians and geth designs in the hangar bay. Carrier class, check. Dreadnought class, check. Frigate class, check." Then EDI took a deep breath, something he'd never seen her done before, and spoke, "The Silaris Armor has been vastly modified and improved. Legion implemented his idea and now it provides an almost impenetrable plate of armor on our hull. The Cyclonic Barrier tech that Tali designed as been further modifed by Xen's Special Projects fleet and can now hold off projectiles such as missiles with increased dexterity, with a 0.0000000000001 percent chance of a missile penetrating our barriers." Garrus gave a impressed whistle, another thing he learned from humans. "I'm impressed. Do continue."

"As you've noticed, our engines now give an extra boost to our speed, making us faster than the SR-3's predecessors. The SR-1 could still slightly outrun us, but overall, were faster than the SR-2 by far. MUCH faster. Our current speed allows us a total speed of 10000 kph." Garrus' jaw dropped.  _Say what._ "TEN THOUSAND!? The SR-1 could only reach 10,121. The SR-2 barely made 7,000." EDI nodded, "Which is why were superior in speed. We can currently outrun any current warship designated vessels in the galaxy. Even Cerberus does not have ships to match. And that's not all..." Joker butted in, "Its the stealth isn't it? Oh can I please tell him dear!" EDI rolled her eyes, "Very well Jeff. Garrus is all ears." Garrus turned to Joker and raised a eyebrow, or at least tried to. Joker smiled a big grin, "You know how the stealth drive on the SR-1 could allow us camouflage to enemy sensors? And how the SR-2 improved it alittle by letting us stay invisible to sensors even when exiting FTL?"

Garrus nodded. Joker was on the verge of tearing up, "Take a look at this insane shit." Joker and turned and turned on his screen as Garrus stood next to him, eyes on the viewscreen. "Vos, access the nearest buoy please." Vos was one of the quarian bridge crew, Voz'Tilma vas Rannoch. Vos akwnowledged him, activating the buoy nearby. He could see the full image of the Normandy camera projected in its view. Garrus nodded and Joker pressed a single button, "Watch the magic." Garrus nearly lost it when he saw the Normandy quite literally disappeared.

"How...?" Garrus was lost for words. Joker laughed, "The geth adapted the geth hunter's cloak to the ship, enlarging its radius so it spanned the whole ship. Not only are we invisible to sensors, but where invisible to the naked eye too. The Red October just became reality." Garrus frowned and Joker just shrugged, "Old earth movie. Its based on this submarine that has the power to destroy the world and also has this caterpillar propulsion system that allows them to disappear from radar. Hence the name." Garrus nodded in realization.

"Anyway, have we recovered anything from that destroyed shuttle?" Garrus asked.  _Back to serious mode._ Joker nodded, losing his smile as he closed the viewscreen and returned to work. "Nothing. Not a peep. However, I am picking up tachyon emissions that relate to that of a quarian vessel. I'm going to guess the quarian's didn't just happen to stumble upon this site." Garrus shrugged, "How do you know it wasn't the shuttle? It was quarian design." EDI nodded and continued for Joker, "I cross referenced the emissions among every known quarian created vessel. The only match I could find was that of a quarian cruiser. The quarians are involved." Garrus was shocked, "How do you compare emissions? Aren't they all the same?" EDI shook her head, "It isn't about emission types, its about the size. Larger ships release more emissions. We compared the amount of emissions to all quarian vessels and the amount used was 6000. Only Cruisers need that much."

Garrus nodded knowingly, "So Cerberus wasn't involved." EDI shook her head again, Garrus turned, "EDI?" EDI brought up the readings on the emissions. "I was still convinced the quarians weren't fully involved. I tracked the emissions to what seemed like a rendevous, and I found more emissions intermingled with the Cruiser. I tracked the emissions and compared them to known ship profiles. They didn't match the quarians, so I checked the other species profiles and found...this..." She brought up a picture of a human designed vessel, "A Ulysses-Class Frigate, it was the older model used by the Alliance in 2132, decommissioned 4 years later. Only one organization still uses them..." Garrus already knew who she meant. He finished the sentence for her, "Cerberus."

Almost immediately an idea came to his head. He smiled, "You said you can track emissions right?" EDI nodded slowly, as if not quite sure. He continued, "Can you track the Cerberus' vessel's emissions to its destination?" EDI immediately realized what Garrus was getting too. "I AM the Normandy. Besides Garrus, if the quarians and geth thought of a cloaking device on a ship, I'm sure they thought of tracking emission's left by a ship's engines. This shouldn't take too long."

Garrus smiled as he walked towards the elevator, "Once you have their trail, follow it to the destination. I'll be in the Gunnery control station, getting ready to lay the hurt. Have the team assemble in the War Room." EDI awknowledged him as he continued.  _Yes Shepard, Tali, not only are we going to rescue you very soon, but were rescuing you in style._

...

Shepard just sat in the bottom left corner of the room in a fetal position, looking blankly at the wall, Tali's mask still held firmly inbetween his body and legs. The bottom of his eyes were still sticky and wet from his hours of weeping, and his cheeks still held the aftermath of the trickles that made it off his face and onto the floor. His blank expression told everyone of the soldiers that came to check on him that he was deep in thought or just brain dead. He felt like both.

While Tali was getting raped somewhere, he was sitting here like a hopeless child, pathetic and useless, and doing nothing but staring at a wall.  _And what was there to do exactly? Ran at the barrier and hope I can teleport? Or that its all an illusion? Or maybe I could miraculously cause an explosion in the wall._ Shepard knew that any attempt to break through that barrier or escape his steel prison was fruitless and any hope he had was either sheer desperation or overoptimism. Still, sitting here was pointless and blankly staring at a wall wasn't going to help Tali.

He slowly crawled out of his fetal and stood up, Tali's visor still firmly in his grip. As finally stood up, he approached the middle of the room. It was eerily silent without Tali. Of course, ever minute with her was bliss and tranquility, but it felt horribly silent. The kind of silence that means death or horrifying things were happening. He couldn't bare this kind of silence, it was terrible and he wanted it to stop as if it was a terrible pain received in interrogation. And what if this was somekind of interrogation? What if they used the ruse of raping Tali to get me to finally come out and succumb? What if Tali actually wasn't being raped and it was all just an elaborate trap to catch all the info he could possibly blurt out.

No, that was wishful thinking at best. That guy was a complete and utter sicko, he wasn't willing to bet that that guy would...would...ARGH! THIS NEEDS TO STOP NOW! He shouted in his mind. He felt like he was in the middle of a inner revolution, one mental side trying to subdue the other. To fight each other into periods of phyrric victory so they could make the killing blow. He needed out. No, he needed Tali. He needed to know she was safe, fully. He needed proof. He was about to ponder the thousands of ways he could escape when the barrier fell silent again, its glow gone from the room. He turned to see Tali, held by two cerberus soldiers and Brad...no, not Bradley. This guy was different, he looked alot more...respectable.

They threw Tali inside before reactivating the barrier. She immediately turned to the unknown cerberus commander, "Thank you Connor I...owe you." The soldier named Connor nodded and answered, "I'm not doing this for you Tali, but just so you know, you're not the only one who's in love with a member of the opposite race. Don't tell Hawk that though." Tali nodded, "I promise. May I ask, who's the lucky girl? That's if your..." Connor held up his hands innocently as Shepard watched the exchange.  _Tali making nice to a Cerberus commander?_ "I'm definitely straight lady, and well...I've got the hots for that quarian Admiral. Daro. Were perfect, were related in opinion so much! Anyway, I better go before I'm caught socializing with you 'scum'. I'll catch you later. You two hold each other close, your going to need it for the things Hawk has planned."

With a final brisk spin, he left with a step so rigid, you'd think he was a veteran N7. He immediately approached Tali, who barely got anytime to turn before he embraced her. "What did that sick fuck do to you?" Tali immediately pushed him back and looked at his hand, recovering her visor and putting it on. "John...its fine...really." Shepard was getting irritated, "Tali, tell me now! What did he do to you!" Tali gave up. Shepard was as overprotective as her father. Worse probably. She liked that however, she definitely wasn't complaining. "He...may have tried to exploit my...you know, and he did...get a view of my...breasts, but that's it!" Shepard was furious. "Yet you talk to him as if he was Garrus." Tali was wide eyed, "That's Connor, Connor Faringar, Bradley's brother. Bradley is...well...not so alive anymore. I snapped his neck."

Shepard slapped his knee and allowed himself a laugh, "Damn girl, you did good. Did you leave him some spit?" Tali nodded and smiled again, hugging her tighter. Then he looked at her again, "So who is this Connor guy? If he's that sicko's brother, or was, wouldn't he be just as bad? He seemed quite friendly."  _Its just a ruse. All a ruse to rute out information from us. But what info are they looking for!_ Tali shook her head, "No, he's nothing like his brother, a matter of fact, he congratulated me for killing him, said he should have done it himself. And he is still our enemy John, but he's that...I don't know, I get this feeling that he isn't a Cerberus patriot. Like...like he's...I don't know." Shepard nodded in understanding.  _An enemy who isn't just blindly followng his boss out of fear or loyalty. Respectable._

Tali then proceeded to break his embrace and look into his eyes, "John, The Illusive Man is back." Shepard almost choked on his saliva.  _What?_ "Impossible! I watched him...up on the Citadel...shoot himself. He's dead!" Tali shook her head, "That was just a clone John. Remember, he never enters a battle personally. We should have seen this coming." Shepard looked at the ground in disbelief. He completely disregarded the dead Cerberus bodies nearby as he backed into the nearby wall.  _So Anderson died without being avenged. Dammit!_ He slowly looked up into Tali's eyes, but they weren't looking at him. They were also looking at the ground, blank expression all that could be seen. Her hands lay at her side, idol.

He looked back at the ground and then to the Cerberus bodies. After examining their lifeless forms, he turned back to Tali, who was finally looking at him. He wanted so much to just tell her everything would be alright, but he knew he'd been the only one fooled. Tali wasn't stupid; they were imprisoned, on a distant world, with no hope of rescue and a vengeful Illusive Man next door. Optimism right now was for the desperate. For the foolish. Thinking they could escape now was a fool's gambit. Then she asked the very question he dreaded to answer, "What do we do John?"

He just stood frozen, his mind all of a sudden obsessed with the ground. He had only one answer, but he tried to search for a myriad of other ones. Fake optimism was better than true realism, especially at this moment. He was a leader; for all these years he had inspired the men and women under his command with inspiring words of morale, he had done it with his squad on Elysium; how Rafael, as much as he had hated him, listened to him when it mattered. How Mitchell was always at his side. How Rito was unskeptical and Julia was always there for him.

And his family, how Garrus, his blood brother, and Tali, his lifemate, would stand by his side and walk feet first into hell when it mattered. They stood by him when Ashley abandoned him, Liara abandoned him and Wrex was caught up in politics. They knew what true friendship was. It was his inspiring words that made them believe in him no matter what, but now, those miracle working words, those words that inspired armies to fight, were gone. They had abandoned him, now he was just like a adolescent struggling to under the content of life itself.

He looked at Tali. His words were the only thing that appeared to comfort her, allow her to feel reassurance. His words had inspired her before the Battle of Earth, had inspired her on Earth, and now those words had packed up and left. He decided to let these words flow out of him instead of his usual scriptlike words. He was now hanging on his own faith. He spoke, his voice shaky, but professional. "I honestly don't know Tali. But I know this; our friends won't abandon us. Garrus is a strong leader, he'll come for us, he always has hasn't he? He came for us when Cerberus captured us in that Noveria Fighter base and he'll come for us now. Knowing Joker, I don't think he'd leave us either, Normandy or not. All we can do right now is sit down, hold each other close, and hope for the best. And hope Garrus and EDI have a crystal ball and can work wonders."

Tali nodded and stood next to him, imitating his posture, leaning on the wall, close enough for their arms to be touching. "John?" Shepard noticed her voice wasn't one of worry, but curiousity, which seemed to calm him down alittle. At least his words had the effect he wanted. "Yes,  _Saera_?" Tali took a second longer to ask her question, "What's Bellerophon?" Shepard eyed her curiously.  _What the hell?_ "No idea. Where did you hear about it from?" Tali shrugged, "Connor mentioned it to Hawk. Said it was in construction. I have a bad feeling John. Cerberus wanted control of the Reapers, what if they...?" Shepard knew what she was thinking.  _If Bellerophon is some resurrected Reaper. No, no that can't be possible, nothing the Illusive Man does ever works. But there is a first time for everything..._ "I don't know Tali, but if he is, we won't let it be completed. Garrus always knows how to make an escape plan that involves style..."

They laughed halfheartedly, if only to lighten the mood. Silence filled the room, neither of them saying anything except looking at the ceiling. Then they saw two piles of food get thrown in. "Enjoy" said a gruff voice. They approached their food, only to find two bowls of the same greenish-brown substance. Tali was too hungry to care and immediately picked up the crucible of food, downing it so fast it was something of legend. Before he knew it, she was vomitting. "Keelah!" she said inbetween her puking, "This is lemo concentrated! I've been..." Before he knew it, Tali collapsed into a fit of anaphylaptic shock. Her body twisted around violently, her mouth bubbling with vomit. Shepard dropped his bowl and held her down, scooping up the vomit off her mask and throwing it away. He turned to the door, "I need some water! Please!" The voice replied quicker then he expected, "Go to hell, the quarian can die for all I care."

He was about to retort back when he heard the sound of a fist impacting armor. Looking through the slot, he saw the soldier collapse onto the ground, with a blood nose. Another bowl slid through. He examined the bowl, which was followed by water. He slid the water into Tali's awaiting mouth, and her spastic movements ceased. He turned back to the slot, but his eyes immediately switched to the barrier where Connor was standing, "I may be your enemy Shepard, but I'm not going to...lower to this dog's level." Connor turned to the soldier, who was glaring him down. "You are a traitor! I'll have you-" Connor rolled his eyes, unholstering his Talon. "Oh for fuck please, shut your trap. Just because I don't treat our prisoners like slaves doesn't make me a traitor. Damn, we really should stop feeding our soldiers this bullshit."

With a single pull on the trigger, he emptied a round in the soldier's head, and reholstered the weapon. The soldier's head was nothing but a bloodied pulp as it fell to the ground. Connor turned back to Shepard and smiled, "If you need anything, just shout. My troops aren't as...incompetently rude as Hellion's." With a final nod, Connor left immediately, a soldier walked past him, wearing the same crimson black armor that Connor did.  _Cerberus sub divisions._ The soldier picked up the dead trooper and threw him into the nearest trash compactor nearby. The soldier smiled as he took the position the soldier originally held, weapon in alert carry. "John, what just happened? Everything went black and..." He turned back to a disgruntled Tali, outraged she had been poisoned. He gave a loving smile, "Nothing, just Connor kicking that asshole's ass. I'm really starting to like him."

Tali smiled behind her mask as she took another sip of water. "I see the water was his doing." Shepard nodded and held the bowl so Tali could see it, "As he was for the bowl of dextro...slush. I have no idea what this stuff is, and it tastes disgusting. Are you okay?" Tali nodded in response, not wanting him to worry to much, "It's okay, I took a small amount. If I had consumed the whole thing, I would have...entered a coma. Three bowls of it and I'd be dead. Thank the ancestors for my gag reflex."

Shepard smiled as the both of them moved into a small corner of the room. They ate, and once done, retreated into each other's embrace. They later fell into the only bed in the room and slept in a spooning position. Shepard fell asleep to the sound of Tali's heartbeat.  _Whatever Bellerophon is, it can't be good. And I can't...no matter what the cost...let the Illusive Man complete it._

...

"Why deploy ground teams when we can just raze the facility with the Normandy? Cerberus wouldn't stand a fucking chance against this ship." Jack stated firmly. Garrus nodded, "Sure Jack. We can vaporize Cerberus and kill Shepard and Tali in the process, sounds fantastic!" His voice dripped with sarcasm. Grunt shrugged, "I thought it was a good idea." Everyone shook their head, but Jack for different reasons.

"Look, were deploying a single ground team to rescue Shepard and Tali. Normandy will provide air support as we do this. Normandy will decimate the facility's outer defenses and AA batteries, and then provide an 'entrance' for the retrieval team. I don't think Cerberus will mess with a heavily armed frigate-dreadnought-carrier on their doorstep." Everyone nodded, "Who will be going in?" Kal asked. Garrus nodded, "I'll be leading the five man team. We'll need a tech specialist for any security systems, a biotic to help deal with tougher targets and 2 reserve units."

"If its a tech specialist you need, its quarian, I volunteer." Lana stepped up. Kal put a hand on her shoulder, "Your leg still hasn't healed properly Lana. EDI should go." Lana shook her head, "No! I can fight, you said yourself, Shepard and Tali need us, and I won't sit here doing nothing just because my leg hurts! I volunteer." Kal shook his head as he backed off. Garrus nodded, "Any biotic volunteers?" Noone moved. Garrus shrugged and chose, "Well, we need to strike fear into Cerberus' hearts, so Jack, you're in, show them that inner beast from the Collector Base." Jack nodded, smiling, cracking her fists. Garrus turned back to the holotable, "Chief and Kirrahe will act as reserve forces. Everyone else listen in, we'll need you in case things go FUBAR."

"Phase One is the Normandy. Now, this is all depends whether the base is on a planet or station. We've planned for both. Planet wise, Normandy will move in using the stealth system and then, while in stealth, we will bombard the facility with 2 javelin torpedoes and hit their power plant. With no power, this should make infiltration easier. Normandy will then harass the enemy defenses while we are deployed in a shuttle to land inside the base. Phase Two, Chief and Kirrahe hold the hangar while myself, Lana and Jack move through and rescue Shepard and Tali. Once we have them, we'll exfil to the LZ and the shuttle will take us back to the Normandy. Then we'll immediately extract. If everything goes to hell, then Chief and Wrex will move in for assistance with exfiltration."

"What if Joker decides to go all FISHDO on us?" Jack stated. Garrus was surprised by her knowledge of military acronyms, but he didn't question it either. "He won't. He doesn't need to run away when he's controlling the most advanced dreadnought in the galaxy. Besides Shepard, as the HMFIC here, would probably go apeshit if he did." Everyone managed a smile before he continued, "If were looking at a space station, then the Normandy will proceed with original plan and we'll deploy in shuttle onto the station's exterior. Chief will bring one of those antimatter charge things...and place it on the external airlock. We'll be in EVA, so bring external equipment. Lana, Chief, you don't have to worry, Lana just has to bring magno boots. Once inside, the plan proceeds as normal."

"What if their injured?" Lana asked, "Its not like Dr. Chakwas can come with us." Garrus nodded, "She will be on the shuttle. If they are indeed injured, we can provide CASEVAC to the Normandy. Any more questions? Or are we ready to turn this day TARFU for Cerberus?" Everyone clapped in agreement, and Garrus smiled. "Joker, don't let us down when we get there. Normandy's all yours and Voz, if he even considers running..." Voz began chuckling, "I'm sure Manticore will keep him in line, as long as were around, he won't be going AWOL." Garrus nodded and chuckled back, "Don't disappoint me Voz, that promotion could be all yours." Once done, he turned to the rest of the crew, "Crew dismissed." Everyone nodded and left, all except Chief, Kirrahe, Jack and Lana. Kal stayed for a few seconds to tap his visor with Lana's, told her to stay safe and then approached Garrus. He whispered in his ear, "Keep her safe, or I can't hold myself responsible for storming in there myself." Garrus nodded in awknowledgement as Kal left the room.

"Head for the Shuttle Bay, we'll..." he didn't get to finish as Samantha rang in, "Sorry to interrupt Lieutenant Commander, but we have a message coming in. It's from Shala'Raan." Garrus nodded. "Thank you Specialist Traynor. Like I was saying, meet me in the Shuttle Bay, I've got some business to clear up with Shala, damn she's going to be pissed. Anyone had any experience dealing with an angry mother before?" Everyone shook their head, well, all except Lana. "Yes, Meru. But that was when I was young. Let's just say Tali's mum wasn't to happy when I, Yalu, Kal and Tali decided to play paint the Rayya walls. Meru was...less than happy."

Garrus just smiled as everyone left and he stepped up to the Quantum Entanglement communicator to set up the call. He waited for the call to connect. He smiled professionally as Shala appeared. "Councilor Raan." Shala nodded as she responded, "Military Governor Han'Gerrel just informed me of your little situation...I'll feel assured when you say you've got the situation under control." Garrus scratched the back of his head, "Yes. Were moving to rescue them now. MARINE, don't worry. We'll save them, no matter the difficulty. We've always succeeded before, I don't see us failing now." Shala nodded, "They sent me a message stating they were on their way. I had been a meeting when I received the message, so when I went to read it, Han'Gerrel contacted me to tell me they had been captured. I contacted you as soon as I could."

Garrus nodded, "We've got a strong crew, and knowing Shepard's oveprotectiveness, Tali is safe as well. We haven't abandoned them, not yet, not ever." Shala smiled. What a devoted crew, if only her crew were this loyal and friendly, Tali really was among the strongest. "I keep her safety in high regard, LTCOM, if she is hurt or injured, I will personally come over there and petition to bring the entire Armed Response Fleet with me. So unless you want to be surrounded by a division of Migrant Fleet Marines and want to be looking down the barrel of my shotgun..." Garrus gulped, "Of course not Councilor, besides, Tali is basically my...what's that quarian word? Dram'zelt din relai?" Shala rolled her eyes, "How you people manage to get our words in the wrong context is beyond me. Still, I'll be waiting for a SITREP. Raan out."

Shala's form disappeared and Garrus took a collective sigh of relief.  _What a...witch._ Garrus managed to get up and left the room. Once outside he took a quick look around the CIC. He smiled.  _Alright. Everything is ready. Now to just ignite the fire._ EDI's voice interrupted his thoughts, "Commander, we've found them. Trail stops at Noveria."  _Good, planetside base of operations. That makes this so much easier._ "Copy, Joker, you know what to do. Bring up the cloak and bring down the rain. We'll be deploying in T-minus 7. Prepare for infil."

Without waiting for Joker's response, which didn't come, he entered the elevator and hit Deck 6. In just about no time, he had arrived at the Shuttle Bay.  _2 seconds. I guess Raan's experience with that irritating elevator finally got her to put a faster one in the new ship. Thank the spirits._ As the door opened, he approached the shuttle. Everyone was already in the shuttle, just waiting on him. He smiled as he grabbed his sniper rifle from Kirrahe and prepped it.

_Now the fun starts. Merry Christmas, Cerberus._

**Saera:** Term used when speaking to one's lifemate. Literal translation: My soul's soul. Other meanings include, but are not limited to: Keeper of my soul and My soul's protector. Most commonly used word throughout the fleet by a quarian when speaking privately to their lifemate. Though unconfirmed by any quarian, there are implications that this word holds extreme intimacy as well as absolute trust. No single human word or phrase encompassed all that this one short word implies as it appears to contain both dominance and submissive traits.

**Military Acronyms for dummies:**

**I know I mentioned alot of them during that briefing, so time I told you what they mean (the ones I mentioned anyway)**

**AWOL: Away WithOut Leave**

**FUBAR: Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition**

**Exfil: Exfiltration. Opposite of Infiltration. Exit undetected. Also referred to extraction, where it is imperative that a ground team get extracted immediately, usually when they have a high-value target or when the mission is aborted or completed.**

**LZ: If you don't know this, then why are you reading this? Simple as hell. Landing Zone.**

**FISHDO: Fuck It, Shit Happens, Drive On.**

**HMFIC: Head MotherFucker In Charge.**

**EVA: Extra Vehicular Activity. Not nessacarily a military acronym, but what the hell.**

**CASEVAC: CASualty EVACuation.**

**MARINE: Muscles Are Required; Intelligence, Not Essential. Can also mean the following:**

**My Ass Rides In Navy Equipment, My Ass Really Is Navy Equipment.**

**MAC: Mass Accellerator Cannon. In Halo, it means Magnetic Accellerator Cannon.**

**TARFU: Things Are Really Fucked Up; or Totally And Royally Fucked Up.**

**LTCOM: LieuTenant COMmander.**

**SITREP. Another simple one. SITuation REPort.**

**CIC: Even Mass Effect itself explains this one! Command Intelligence Center.**

**Navy Ranking for Dummies:**

**Seaman Recruit.**

**Seaman Apprentice.**

**Seaman.**

**Petty Officer 3rd Class.**

**Petty Officer 2nd Class.**

**Petty Officer 1st Class.**

**Chief Petty Officer.**

**Senior Chief Petty Officer.**

**Master Chief Petty Officer.**

**Command Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy.**

**Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy.**

**Warrant Officer 1.**

**Chief Warrant Officer 2.**

**Chief Warrant Officer 3.**

**Chief Warrant Officer 4.**

**Chief Warrant Officer 5.**

**Ensign.**

**Lieutenant Junior Grade.**

**Lieutenant.**

**Lieutenant Commander.**

**Commander.**

**Captain.**

**Rear Admiral (Lower Half).**

**Rear Admiral (Upper Half).**

**Vice Admiral.**

**Admiral Chief of Naval Operations.**

**Fleet Admiral.**

"Labor disgraces no man; unfortunaetly, you occasionally find men who disgrace labor."

General Ulysses S. Grant


	31. Bellerophon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shepard and Tali escape. A dormant evil is awoken.

_**Bellerophon** _

As he awoke, he found himself back in the Captain's Quarters. No, on the SR-1. This had to be a dream. As he turned, he saw Tali, but she wasn't what she was now. No, this Tali wasn't his lifemate, wasn't a young woman, wasn't the quarian ex-admiral she knew. No, this a quarian girl, on her pilgrimage, her suit not the extravagant piece of beauty it was now. It didn't matter, he knew this was the day he had admitted his love for her. This was the day after announcing he liked her.  _Why am I back here?_ He pushed the sheets back and sat up, rubbing his eyes. Tali didn't budge.

He raised and looked in the mirror. He looked like a boogeyman, as if raised from the grave and turned into somekind of zombie. He turned back to Tali, leaning on the sink. She looked so elegant, and even though she didn't wear the beautiful piece of art that was her current suit, this suit still looked quite beautiful. He admired it. Its every bit of lining, the realk of Clan Zorah stripped across her breasts and down around her waist.

 _Why was I brought here? This doesn't make sense._ He slowly approached the bed when he realized too late what happened this day.  _Oh shi-_ The ship shook violently and he went crashing into the bed, falling over Tali. Wreckage blew from the ceiling and fell all over the room. He shoke Tali to wake her up. But she was already up. "Come on John! We have to get to the escape pods!" Shepard nodded, and got up running towards the door, Tali not far behind. He began running towards the escape pods, followed by Garrus, Ashley, Wrex and Liara. He had to wrench his eyes away from the dead corpse of Pressly, a piece of wreckage held in his bloodied back.

Still holding Tali's hand, he reached the escape pod. Before he could say anything, he heard a petrified scream and he turned around. He saw Tali, but now there was a piece of wreckage imbedded deep in her face. Her body went limp, and crumbled onto the ground. "TALI! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!" He reached back and craddled her body. This was the one thing he swore would never happen as long as he lived; that Tali would die in his arms. He began to weep as the ship's death cries could be heard in the background, explosions all over.  _Remember. None of this is real. None of this is...wait, I saved her from dying. That piece of wreckage, I was meant to deflect it._

The explosions ceased and were replaced with the cries of a Reaper. "John! JOHN! GET BEHIND COVER!" That was Tali's voice. Impossible, she was dead in his...No, Tali's body was gone, replaced by a dead Collector's body. He wasn't cradling it however, it was just dead beside him and he immediately jumped into cover. Tali and Jack were still fighting the Human Proto-Reaper. He had his Cain in his hands.  _The killer blow._ Turning the corner, he let off a shot before turning back. He heard the impact, and a loud screech as bits of armor melted away from the Reaper and fell into the abyss below.

The Reaper collapsed onto the platforms, causing them to collapse, break apart, and begin to fall. That didn't worry him, he was on safe ground. Tali sliding into the abyss, like she was right now, did. He leapt forward and slid after her, desperately looking for a handhold for both her hand and his. She scratched desperately, looking for a handhold, but could find none. She looked so terrified, she wanted so much to live. Her eyes gave him her trust, she expected him to save her. He reached out further, but the edge was disturbingly close now. He reached out his hand and expected to feel her hand clenched in his. Nothing, just air.

He cried out helplessly as Tali slid off the edge, and her cries of terror were drowned by the explosion of the Reaper as she fell into its grave. He cried, "NO!"  _This isn't real. None of it is. Tali is still in bed with you, safe and sound. This is all just an illusion. I just need to wake up from it._ He pushed himself up but he no longer felt unsteady collector hoverpads. No, he was on dirt ground, familiar dirt ground...

 _Rannoch._ He looked up to see the dead Reaper destroyer, destroyed only seconds ago, with Legion in the middle of his upload. Tali's voice was unmistakable, "Please John, I beg of you, don't do this. Please."  _This is where I choose the fate of the geth and the quarians. Peace._ He tried to contact Han'Gerrel but he shoved him off. He was confused.  _But Gerrel listened to me. Oh shit, what will this dream do to me next..._

"Upload complete." Legion stated. Shepard's eyes widened.  _But the quarian's haven't stopped attacking! They'll be-_ Tali's repeated mumbles of 'no, no, no this can't be happening' were heard in the background as the first piece of debris flew in. Kar'Danna's distress calls filled his helmet comms and he could do nothing but stand by and watch as the Migrant Fleet came tumbling into Rannoch's atmosphere.  _The entire quarian race...gone. Except-_ "John, I'm sorry." He turned to see Tali, her mask off, dropped on the ground, back to the edge. She began to fall backwards.  _NO-_ "TALI! DON'T DO THI-" He rushed forward as fast as he could, but he wasn't fast enough. Tali fell off before he could stop her. He heard the horrific sounds of cracking bones, smashing suit pieces, and the snap of a neck. He began to weep yet again.  _"TALI!"_ And everything went black.

His eyes shot open and he sat up, "TALI!" He was sweating all over, like he'd run a 70 km marathon. Tali immediately shot up next to him, hand on his chest, "What's wrong John? What happened!?" Shepard turned towards Tali, who was looking into his eyes, scared. "Where are we?" he asked. He had to be sure that the dream was indeed a dream, and that Tali wouldn't die at this very moment. "John, you know where-" Shepard gave her a 'please' look that she couldn't resist. She sighed, "Noveria. Cerberus Base." Shepard gave a sigh of relief and pulled her into a deep hug. "Thank god it was all just a horrible dream."

Tali broke the embrace a short moment later, taking his hands in hers. "What did you dream of? You can tell me, you know that." Shepard nodded, burying his face in his hands, "You. Dying. I was on the first Normandy, and you died. Then I was on the Collector Base, and you...died. Then I was on Rannoch, choosing who lives or dies and...I destroyed them all. I got the whole quarian race extinct and you...jumped off the cliff and...and..." Tali reeled him in and embraced him again. He just needed a good weep. He cried into her arms continuously, unrelenting, he didn't stop for a second. So much pain he felt.

"Its okay John. I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere." Shepard just continued weeping, but it seemed to die down alittle. Tali decided to try the technique he used on her. "Ssssshhhhhhh..." She whispered softly into his ears until he eventually stopped. This was the side of John that noone except Tali or Garrus ever saw, and even then, Garrus rarely saw this side. Everyday after a mission during the Reaper War, especially after Thessia, he would weep in his cabin, and Tali would be there for him. Shepard wasn't stupid; for his crew to see him cry, it would have shown weakness, an inability to fight on, morale would envitably drop. With Tali it was fine, but Tali believed in him, even when he showed weakness. As indomitable and invincible as he looked, he was just organic, like everyone else. Emotions and everything.

He looked up into her eyes. She left a warm smile welcome him. No, it wouldn't have the same effect. Instead, she took off her mask, and then gave him the warmest, most comforting smile she could give him. It worked; he immediately relaxed. Raising her little hands to his face, she gently wiped away the tears left behind by his weeping. He finally spoke up. "Tali, in everyone of those situations, you died. However, in reality, those were the exact same situations I saved you from. Its almost as if someone wanted me to feel the consequences of not protecting you." Tali smiled and decided to lighten the mood with some humor, "Like Shala? I didn't realize she implanted a device on you." Shepard managed a smile and a small chuckle, "Oh believe me, I wouldn't doubt it for a second. That woman is crazy over your safety. Not that I can blame her, she did lose her actual biological daughter. Your all she has left, aside from Garu."

Tali became saddened at the thought of Yalu's death. How Lana and Kal had mourned her for days, but Shala and Garu had isolated themselves for a full month. All that could be heard, day in, day out, was intense weeping. Melancholy had plagued Shala for a full 6 years before she moved on, but even then, the sorrow was still in there, locked away for a time of seclusion. Yalu had been one of her greatest friends and they had learnt alot about each other. Yalu always said that Tali was too pretty for any of the men on the fleet.  _Yalu. If only you could have lived to see the man I fell in love with._

"Yeah..." The room fell into silence after that. Shepard just lay there on Tali's chest, Tali herself playing with his hair as he enjoyed the soft touch of her breath on his skin. It felt like days went by, weeks maybe, but time had no meaning here. It was just a secondary item; everything was background noise compared to this blissful moment of silence.  _I long awaited a time where this could happen. Where me and Tali could just lie down and hold each other in bliss, not in worry that the Reapers or Cerberus could attack us at any moment. To let the days drift by as we walk in one as life._

He was just about read when he heard Connor's voice. "Rise and shine. Time to get up sleeping beauties. Time to meet the president." Shepard jumped up, and Tali immediately reset the mask on her helmet. Connor strolled in, flanked by two armed guards, holding what looked like Revenants. They also held the scars of biotic implants. Connor himself looked like a Sentinel, like Bradley, but his large number of biotic implants suggested a Vanguard or Adept. Or maybe both... _That can't be possible. Or is it?_ For once, Connor wasn't wearing his helmet. He looked like a veteran, most likely ex-Alliance. The man had ginger hair, his eyes hazel. He was built of muscle, a true juggernaut. Numerous scars covered his face, especially a gruesome one across his throat.  _How the fuck did he survive that? Tough SOB, I'll give him that._ Connor smiled as he stopped in front of them.

"Good morning. You have an appointment with the Illusive Man and Hawk. They are quite eager to show you our latest project." Shepard made a mental note.  _Bellerophon. Has to be._ He looked at Tali, "You're requested as well. Unfortunately, I've been ordered to keep you seperated. Two guards each and you are to be kept 5 meters apart. I'm sure you understand we can't have you escaping." Shepard swore to himself.  _She'll be safe. That's if this Connor guy is valid, and not one of those people who hide traps and bullshit behind a smile. Damn it, where's Garrus when you need him?_ "Very well, what kind of restraints am I and my lifemate to expect?" Connor nodded, and his two guards holstered their weapons as they approached.

"For Mrs. Shepard here, I've got just some basic hand cuffs, and a electric dog collar. My soldiers are well-trained, but you managed to snap my brother's neck while restrained. Killing him is one thing; doing it restrained is a feat. I'm not taking any chances." He finished as Tali's arms were layed out front and cuffed, and a electric collar placed around her neck. She eyed the collar warily. "Great, collaring her like a dog. Asshole." Connor shrugged, "I've got orders, and I'll follow them to the very last letter. I don't care if they want me to shit on a fucking Reaper, I'll do it. Loyalty however, no, I'm more freelance. As for you Shepard, I've got a whole number of ways I could restrain you. But I think some basic cuffs will do."

"You're not taking extra precautions?" Shepard was baffled. This Connor was sure taking a huge risk. Connor shrugged again, "Were both warriors Shepard, I know how you tick. Were both Spectres, we were both Alliance guard dogs and we've both seen horrible shit before. Trust me, I'll deck you before you even get to say, "Hey, lets go!"" Shepard widened his eyes.  _He's a Spectre too? But..._ "Your a Spectre as well?" he had to ask. Connor nodded, "Used to be you mean. Got kicked out for busting one of my ops. Truth is, you weren't the first human spectre at all. I was the first to join, of course it was all hush-hush in the backrow politics, mostly among the other species, so they kept it informal until I actually had some success, racist assholes. Anyway, yeah, busted one of my most trusted ops. Framed I was. They set me up, those council bastards. Dropped me on Aratoht and expected me to take out an entire army of supposed batarian terrorists, saying they were all 'terrorist scum'".

"My fucking ass they were. Turned out they were all civvies. They made sure they let me die on Trebin, because the ship that dropped me off just fled. Council retards underestimated me though. I just hijacked a batarian transport and used it to get off world. IFF saved my life too, goddamn hegemony came in force, almost as if they called in everything. Damn, treated it as if it was Khar'shan. I got out, and I accused the Council of treachery. That's all the information they needed to have me disinbarred from the Spectres. And...here I am. Have to say Shepard, I was disappointed when you let them live when Sovereign attacked, would have let them die myself."

Connor finished his recount and sighed. Then he returned to the present. After cuffing Shepard, he heaved him up by the arm. "Just make this easy and just let me lead you to where we go. That way we all get out of this alive." Shepard nodded as Tali quickly joined him. He saw her walking next to him, ridiculously huge collar wrapped around her slender and small neck. It disgusted him to see her like that, but its not like he could do anything about that. He moved an inch in the wrong direction, and Tali would be dead. She glanced in his direction as they walked down the corridor, her eyes telling him everything will be alright. She then winked.

He lightly laughed at that and continued walking, turning his attention to up ahead. He heard radio shatter behind him, it was Connor. "Yeah, what is it Pete?" "Hellion's troops are playing like children with matches again, sir. They want bragging rights over who patrols the perimeter. This is getting old sir, you really need to talk to Hellion about this. It's pissing me off." Connor shook his head, "Look, just tell them to make it halves. Let them play their little game. If Hellion wants to fuck with me, I'll kick his ass into the Illusive Man's house of hell, where he belongs. Damn, I see how he earned his nickname, pain the fucking ass that man is. Just keep me posted if this situation gets out of hand, Connor out."

 _Seems like infighting. As if their fighting for supremacy. A schism in Cerberus?_ He shook the thought away as he heard one of the soldiers call out, "Next door sir. He wants us up on the topside landing pad." Connor nodded and pushed Shepard into the elevator. They stepped in just as another soldier, wearing standard Cerberus uniform, ran in. Connor rolled his eyes at Hellion. The door closed and the elevator ascended. Hellion examined Tali, "So, got the quarian tagged and collared do we?" Connor rolled his eyes, "Look Hellion, you want to play fetch, you can. But this prisoner is under my juristiction. My client of sorts, and I'm her lawyer, in a way. You touch her, I'll rip your fucking arm off and feed you to the local shatha. Got me?" Connor was a cold son of a bitch, but he was glad that it was Connor protecting Tali and not him. Connor could get away with it, if he did it, Tali would die.

Hellion held up his hands in innocence, "Just saying. Its ironic that the beggar and thief is now all tied up." Connor was close to losing it, "Hellion, close it, or Hawk will have your ass. You know he favors us. You scumbags are just too mainstream." Hellion either didn't take any notice, or was too concentrated on his datapad to notice. The latter was probably related to the former anyway. Asshole. He stopped as he saw the elevator had stopped and the doors slid open. He immediately recognized where he was.  _The Fighter Base. Were on Noveria._ The basic layout of the room was the same. A stairwell to his right lead into the control room and the corridor up ahead, straight out onto the landing pad.

And that's exactly where they were headed. Hellion followed them like an annoying dog stalking its owner. Connor's presence however seemed to keep him at bay. It was like their rivals.  _Schism. Has to be. Rivalries. Maybe Cerberus splintered into mini united factions._ Soon they were outside, the cold gust of wind blowing past their cheeks as they approached the landing pad. He could see the Illusive Man, flanked by Hawk on the pad. Hawk was turned towards them, but TIM was looking out over the horizon.

It felt agonizingly long, but they finally reached the landing pad. TIM turned, his blue eyes looking deep into his soul. As if trying to impose intimidation down on his helpless prisoner. Taking a final puff from his cigarette, he dropped it on the ground, using his foot to crush it. Looking back up, he stared at Shepard and Tali before smiling. "Ah Shepard. I see you were happy to meet me at the time of your...execution." Hawk seemed a little surprised, but Connor was out of his seat almost. He obviously hadn't been informed, or he was just a very good actor. Hellion just gave a smug smile.

Connor approached them, "What!? I was told we were going to show them Bellerophon! Not execute them! This is unacceptable! These people are useful prisoners, not people you should throw away! They can be used as bargaining tools!" Connor shouted desperately. No, he definitely wasn't faking. TIM rolled his eyes, "Enough! Don't tell me you've grown soft Faringar! Besides, if you hadn't been sleeping with Xen..." Connor's eyes widened. Hellion was disgusted, "Sleeping with aliens! Unacceptable! That goes against everything Cerberus stands for!" TIM nodded in agreement, "If not for your usefulness Connor, I would have executed you along with them for that little stunt. Continue your little fling as much as you want...when were finished, all aliens will bow down to humanity. Now! Enough of this! Bring Tali forward, and make him watch! Connor, give me your pistol."

One soldier dragged Tali over to TIM and forced her to her knees, facing Shepard. Her eyes were full of worry. He refused the cowardly act of closing his eyes. Then nothing. "Connor, I am waiting." He turned to see Connor holding his pistol, but he was glancing between Tali and TIM. Shepard mumbled, but just loud enough for Connor to hear, "Please..." Connor looked at Shepard long and hard. He finally looked at TIM and approached. He shakingly handed out his pistol. "For...humanity." Connor then walked off back to his position. TIM smiled. He moved forward and grabbed Tali by the back of her hood, reeling her back so he could place the barrel firmly into the side of her head. TIM smiled as tears began pouring down Shepard's face. "This is the price you pay Shepard."

TIM prepared to shoot when he heard a booming voice. It was pissed off that was for sure. "GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM MY SISTER TIMMY!" TIM turned to see a gigantic frigate just appear out of nowhere. Shepard was awestruck but nothing surprised him more than the outline and the name. "Nor...Nor...Normandy? But how...?" Garrus laughed, "SR-3 baby! Lets see what this baby can do! OPEN UP JOKER!" Shepard instinctively jumped ontop of Tali. They both fell to the ground, Shepard ontop of Tali. Nowhere cared enough to notice as they ran for cover. Gatling fire erupted all over the place and Hawk immediately activated his omnishield to protect himself and TIM. They both ran back inside. He couldn't, as his cuffs were still on. Then he heard the activation of a omniblade. He turned to see Connor, omniblade out. "Stay still, hold up your arms." Shepard did as told, and Connor swiped downwards, cutting the cuffs clean off. He did the same to Tali, and removed the collar. Connor gave a quick salute before running after TIM and Hawk. Shepard began to run after them as two Javelin torpedoes rushed past and hit the power generator, causing all power to flicker out and die.

Tali ran up behind him, but he continued running after Connor, and found the elevator door open. He ran into it, and after Tali arrived, and keyed it to go down. He wasn't letting TIM, Hawk, or as good as he was, Connor to escape.

...

"Okay Joker, rain down the pain. Fire up the gatlings and take out the generator." Garrus ordered. Joker complied, and he witnessed hell unleashed on Cerberus. Two troopers were ripped apart from the weapons meant for anti-ship combat, but the weapons barely scratched the omnishield of the black armored soldier, who defended the Illusive Man.  _I'll have to ask Shepard about that bastard's return._ He cursed as he saw the soldier and TIM retreat inside, followed by a red armoured soldier.

Movement caught his eye but he ignored it as he saw the firing solution for the generator. "Fire!" Joker nodded and slapped down hard on the console. Two streaks of brilliant blue light arced and hit the generator, exploding. He clapped as he saw power throughout the base fail almost simultaneously. He finally took notice of that movement. He saw Shepard, desperately running after Illusive, followed by Tali, who began to catch up easily.

"Damn it! We need to deploy now! No time for the shuttle! Take us down!" Joker looked at him as if he was crazy, "Were too big!" Garrus gave him a 'do it' look. Joker shook his head as he opened the airlock. "EDI, work your magic. I hope you know what your doing Garrus." Garrus nodded and ran towards the airlock.  _Shit, I left everyone in the shuttle bay. Damn, no time to get them now._ Garrus waited for the airlock to pop open. As if on time, he saw the airlock open and he ran out, landing on the pad, executing a combat roll and using his sniper skills to take out a Cerberus soldier he had spotted upon jumping. He began moving forwards when the ground shook as a Atlas mech landed in front of him. He prepared to charge it but only heard a single gruff voice, "GET DOWN!"

Garrus oblidged and ducked just as Chief came barreling overhead and smashed into the Atlas Mech, causing it to topple over. He got up and examined the Atlas wreck and watched as Chief finished off the driver. He turned to see Lana, Jack and Kirrahe deactivate their jetpacks and land. "Starting the party without us? Chief and I will hold position here and Joker will take care of enemy defenses as planned, you go get Shepard and Tali." Kirrahe stated. Garrus nodded and motioned for Jack and Lana to follow him. They ran past the mech just as Chief slid off it. He watched them as they ran past.

He immediately picked up movement all around. "Ready to do this Kirrahe?" They immediately went back to back. "Ready." As the troopers arrived, they immediately leapt, and began their assault.

Garrus cursed as he saw the doors closed and no sign of Shepard or Tali. Nevertheless, he charged forward and opened the door, waiting for Lana and Jack to step in before hitting the button for level 2. Just as the doors opened, he could see the scene in front of him. Emergency power was on, orange lights illuminating everything. Alarms went off all over the place, klaxons alerting all to head for their battlestations. Joker's voice came into his comms, "Garrus, good news." Garrus grinned and keyed the comm, "Got enough of that. Shoot." Joker took a minute to respond, "Hackett just arrived on the Turanga along with 5 plus frigates and a cruiser. I think he's ready to raze this base. Better grab Tali and Shepard and bug out soon. Were on standby for exfil, Normandy out." Garrus nodded and motioned for Lana and Jack to follow close. They ran along the corridor, encountering basically no resistance. "You hear that?"

"I hear jackshit." Jack said. Garrus nodded. "Exactly. Keep your eyes peeled for hostiles. Anything moves, you shoot it." Jack smiled and pointed her SMG at Garrus. Garrus gave a sarcastic smile, "Okay smartass, you take point." Jack nodded and ran up ahead of them. Lana and Garrus just exchanged looks and rolled their eyes. He watched as the door opened and there lay Tali, on the floor, unconscious. "Secure her now! SHEPARD! WHERE ARE YOU!" Jack moved next to Jack and scanned her vital signs with her omnitool, "She's clean. No suit ruptures or anything. How she was knocked out is anyone's guess here." Garrus gave a whistle. Jack pronounced a sentence without profanity. That had to be a achievement for her.

Suddenly, without warning, Tali shot up, awake, taking even Jack by surprise. "Jesus woman! A little warning please!" Jack shouted. Tali turned to her, as if seemingly unaware she'd scared the powerful biotic. "Shepard...Where's Shepard!" She shot up just as Shepard stumbled out of the darkness, "Right here. Illusive got away. I don't know where he is. We'd better get out of here. We can chase him down even if he..." Shepard was interrupted by a loud demonic noise that echoed throughout the base. "The fuck...?" Joker's voice shouted into their comms, "What the hell is going on down their commander!?" Garrus, as confused as everyone else at what Joker meant, keyed his own comms. "What Joker? Give me a rundown. Sitrep, anything!" Joker seemed hesterical in his answer, "Everything just lit up like a christmas tree! EDI is detecting a major power surge! I don't know what you did, but I think you should bug out, like, RIGHT NOW!" With that, Joker dropped out.

Before anyone could speak, they heard ALOT of footsteps. Lana turned to the sound, "Originated from the way we came. Looks like were fighting our way out." Nodding, Garrus passed Shepard and Tali a pistol each, Tali a Paladin and Shepard a Predator. They quickly burst through the door, and a hail of gunfire greeted them. Garrus, open instinct, opened fire first, hitting one soldier in the left shoulder blade. Jack lifted up another three, and threw them into the rest of the group, allowing Lana to finish them with her assault rifle. Without taking time to catch their own breath, they immediately ran up ahead.

They finally reached the elevator, but they were stopped by a potruding voice. "Stop right there." Turning, they all saw Hellion, flanked by two of his gruntish soldiers. Shepard clenched his fist. "I'll smear the walls with you..." Jack prepared to unleash a heavy shockwave on Hellion, but Shepard grabbed her arm. She turned in shock, "He's mine Jack." She nodded and pulled her arm back after Shepard let go. Tali waited on the sideline, Paladin at the ready. Shepard charged forward, but Hellion jumped nimbly out of the way. Shepard smiled.  _Perfect._ Without a second thought, he strafed in the direction Hellion strafed, and hit him full on. Hellion spiralled into a wall, but not before Shepard spun and landed a punch squarely in the jaw. Hellion blocked his next punch and extended his knife. He attempted to stab Shepard in the neck, but was satisfied when he threw Shepard on the ground and jumped on top of him.

Shepard tried to resist him, but Hellion was unbelievably strong. With every second, Hellion's knife got agonizingly closer to his heart, ready to make the killing blow. He wanted to extend his omniblade, but he had been deprived of that. He desperately struggled with the soldier, but it was hopeless. "Your going to die slowly...Shepard. And its a pity your friends get to watch your defeat." Hellion reared back and the tip of the blade entered. Shepard bit his lip to stop himself from screaming in pain. But that was as far as Hellion got. The next moment, he was gone, his blade tumbling next to him. Hellion had been tackled off him. He turned to see who it was and unsurprisingly, he found Tali.

Holy shit, Tali looked like a enraged lioness protecting her young. She was scratching at Hellion's face, and even kicked him in the quad which, upgraded or not, hurt ALOT. Hellion grunted in pain and managed to shove Tali onto the ground. He attempted to hold her on the ground, but she simply growled, very loudly and reered her feet back and kicked Hellion in the chest, causing him to collapse on the ground. "Kill her!" Hellion got up and ran off, his soldiers advancing. Tali just leapt after him, "Coward!" she shouted. The soldiers tried to level their weapons, but were too late. Tali grabbed one of the soldier's rifles and threw it away. She then backhanded him before kicking him. The soldier backed off before being blown to pieces by Garrus' Krysae.

The other soldier took advantage and grabbed Tali from behind, but he didn't count on Shepard. Leaping up, he grabbed the soldier by the neck and snapped it. The soldier went limp and Tali broke free. She leapt at him and hugged him before they broke and the whole base began to shake. They knew what they had to do. They ran into the elevator and waited for it to land on Level 1. Oh it did, and what greeted them was entirely unexpected. They were met by the wreck of a destroyed Atlas. They climbed over it and found the whole building ripped open.

They continued outside to find a warzone. Another dozen Atlas wrecks with numerous dead Cerberus soldiers. They saw the Normandy hovering above, its weapons unrelenting, battering the base with powerful weapons and Chief and Kirrahe unleashing pure destruction on them. Shepard ran towards them, everyone else behind him. Shepard was impressed by the new Normandy, and he couldn't wait to take a look inside. Finally, the Cerberus soldiers fully retreated. Chief and Kirrahe reholstered their weapons, and the Normandy finished its assault. The base was in ruins. Looking up, he was surprised to see a fleet of seven ships; six frigates and a cruiser. All Alliance.

"You brought all this just to rescue me and Tali?" Shepard asked, pertaining to the fleet, the Normandy and Chief and Kirrahe. Garrus scratched the back of his head, "The fleet we didn't count on, they just conviently showed up. The rest is our doing, except the Normandy. You can thank Legion, Han'Gerrel and Councilor Raan for that." Shepard gave an impressed whistle. Garrus walked up to him and whispered in his ear, "And just wait till you see the crew." Now THAT peaked Shepard's curiosity. He waited as the Normandy moved next to them, airlock at the ready. As he moved to step into the airlock, the base shook again. This time for violently. This time constantly.

"Everybody onboard! NOW!" Everyone rushed onboard the Normandy as he rushed them, the base continuing to violently shake. Nonstop, it was getting worse by the second. What was causing it was another question.  _Weak Structural integrity due to Normandy's assault? Most likely situation._ Once everyone was onboard, Shepard leapt onto the ship. He heard the airlock behind him close and lock as he approached the bridge. It was goddamn huge.  _I'm loving this baby already._ He approached behind Joker, hearing Hackett's voice. "Normandy, were detecting seismic activity in your area. That base is shaking itself to pieces! Get out of there! Meet us at the RV point!" Joker nodded and waited for Shepard's command. Seeing his nod, Joker pulled the ship into reverse.

As the ship reversed and lifted, they heard static fill the radio, followed by another demonic boom, like a piercing klaxon, ever so similiar to the Reapers.  _Unlikely. The Reapers are destroyed, I made sure of..._ All of a sudden, a voice filled the comms. "WE...ARE...BELLEROPHON!" Shepard's eyes widened, and everyone looked at each other in shock. A Reaper. That was a Reaper's voice. Shepard looked downward, as did the rest of the bridge crew as the base slowly crumbled away. Illusive Man's voice came up next, "You hear that Hackett? Bellerophon sounds VERY angry..." Shepard wanted to retort, but almost immediately the whole ship shook violently. Everyone grabbed onto the railings as the fighter base continued to crumble away.

"Shepard, look at...oh spirits." Tali looked over as well. "Oh Keelah...Ancestors be in awe..." Everyone gave gasps of awe and Shepard slowly turned to the phenomenon. He was face to face with the ultimate organic creation. Where the base once stood was the biggest ship ever created, 5 kilometers in length and was 6 miles wide. The thing was a monster. It looked like a horrible hybrid of geth/turian/collector/asari design. The thing dwarfed even 2 Sovereign class Reapers. "What...is...Hackett, are you getting this?" Joker asked. Hackett nodded, "Dear mother of god...all ships. It's...moving. Towards us!" The ship did indeed rapidly rise and acellerate towards Hackett's fleet. Shepard, shaking himself out of his daze said, "Joker! Pursue Bellerophon! Now!" Joker awknowledged and tailgated the gigantic behemoth, keeping par with its immense speed. This thing moved like a Reaper as well. Shepard had no choice but to watch as the ship finally arrived at Hackett's fleet.

"All ships! Fire at will! Take out that monster!" Shepard watched as streaks of weapons fire impacted Bellerophon's hull, but did negligable damage. The ship had its own bit of retaliation. Its weapon banks prepared to unleash a blue-red hell on the awaiting fleet. Shepard was too late to warn them as the first shots rang out. The Turanga was the first hit, its starboard side completely ripped apart as it tried to avoid the attack. The laser didn't stop though, it was a continous beam that moved as if the Illusive Man was controlling it with a joystick.

The laser quickly moved and cut through and vaporized another frigate, then another, and another. The cruiser was finally hit, its shields overwhelmed and the Cruiser was nothing but a finely cut sandwich when it was done. He had to end this. "Joker, deploy the main gun. Fire at will!" Joker awknowledged and deployed the Thanix, charging it up. "Shepard, we are too late. Look." Shepard looked up. Within the span of a minute, all he could see was the remains of the once fearsome Alliance fleet. Turanga was a glowing wreck, the cruiser was utterly destroyed, most of it exposed to space, and the other five frigates were nothing but debris. No escape pods, nothing.

The Bellerophon simply continued, smashing through the Cruiser's remains and heading for the nearest Mass Relay. Shepard gave no order to pursue. Instead, he did the opposite, "Hackett, are you there sir?" He heard raspy voice reply, "Hackett...here...barely. Captain Incas is dead. Most of the bridge crew is dead. All decks except this one...no life support. Need...immediate...evacuation. Alert FLEETCOM, tell them...tell them hell is running loose." Shepard nodded and cut the channel, "Joker, dock us with the Turanga. I don't care how you do it, just do. Kal, Tali, Lana and any quarians or geth, I'd like you to board the Turanga and get the survivors aboard. Turanga can't be salvaged. Once all evacuees are onboard, take us to the Citadel. We need to warn them."

He looked at Tali, "And contact Rannoch. Tell them we'll be gone a few days longer." Joker nodded and began plotting in Shepard's orders. Garrus looked at Shepard, "Go get some rest. We'll handle things here." He nodded and watched as Tali and Lana, finally joined by Kal and numerous quarians arrived to assist. He headed for the elevator. Once there, he opened the door only to find more quarians stepping out. Once out, he entered and hit deck 1. He was surprised to see an extra deck.  _Hangar. Interesting._ He was also surprised by the speed of the elevator. Once there, he entered the cabin. He found the new features fantastic, but that didn't matter right now. He couldn't help but smile at the Zorah bed covers though. He fell into his bed and turned over looking at the ceiling.  _Dear god. With a ship of such power in TIM's hands how the hell am I going to stop them?_

He sighed as he put his hand over his head. His head throbbed. This rescue mission had been turned into another war with Cerberus.  _And Connor? What was his real motives? Was he good or not? Goddamn it, why is he so cryptic._ He frowned as he heard the door open but then immediately smiled as he heard the voice and question, "Nice cabin. And I think my original clan colors look good our bed." He looked up to see Tali standing there, quickly approaching. "You're meant to be helping Hackett and the survivors." Tali just crossed her arms, leaning on her right hip for emphasis. "While my lifemate looks like hell? You know me better than that John." She moved and sat down on the bed.

He smiled, a fake at best. "I'm fine Tali." She wasn't buying it, that was for sure. "I'm not buying it John. You look like hell, and I don't blame you. We just encountered possibly one of the most deadliest warships since Sovereign. You watched it as it decimated Hackett's fleet. You need someone to comfort you. You need sleep, we both do. You know full well that nightmare stopped you from getting proper sleep." Shepard sighed, surrendering. "There is something I need first. A shower...with a certain brush..." Tali smiled. "You're looking at it." Shepard smiled and sat up taking her hand. They both stood up and walked into the shower area. Their eyes widened at the bath tub. "Oh scratch that, how about a bath?" Tali looked at him with a confused look.

"Bath? What's a bath?" Shepard chuckled, "Take off your suit, get in, and I'll show you." Tali smiled.  _Should we be doing this? To hell with it. We've been imprisoned for a week. We need this._ She complied, and began unbuckling her suit. Shepard turned the tap on, filling the tub with soap. Piece by piece, it fell off until she stood in front of him, completely nude. Shepard was quick to follow. Soon, he was in the bathtub and with his urging, she joined him. She copied his posture and soon they were surrounded by warm, bubbly water. Shepard smiled as he kissed the top of her head. Tali smiled. "I think bath's are better than shower's already."

Shepard chuckled, "I bet you do." With that, the night became bliss as the two of them just lay in the bath, surrounded by the warm water, bathing in its bubbly haven. "I love you." Tali stated clearly, looking into his eyes. Shepard smiled back, "I love you too." With that, they passionately kissed as the sounds of the survivors down below stirred.

**And so, the fight to stop Bellerophon, begins...**

**This story will get more and more intense as it continues. Trust me, were only half way through.**

"How horrible, fantastic, incredible, it is that we should be digging trenches and trying on gas-masks here because of a quarrel in a faraway country between the people of whom we know nothing."

\- Neville Chamberlain


	32. Primal Predators

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The SR-3 deals with the aftermath of Bellerophon's emergence.

_**Primal Predators** _

Shepard waited patiently as the door's haptic interface finished its opening sequence. The door finally opened, he saw that the Medical bay was not as busy as he thought.  _Only 6 survivors. Damn._ Including, Hackett. He walked over to the closest bed, which held the injured admiral. His uniform was battered and torn, he was missing his admiral's cap and his face was covered with bloodied wounds.

Hackett looked up at Shepard as he approached. "Captain...*cough*Shepard." Hackett looked like he had faced the arch demon himself and come out with, well this. Shepard immediately saluted, "Fleet Admiral." Hackett waved at him, motioning for him to go at ease, "Please Shepard, give an old man some pause." Hackett entered a coughing fit, to which Chakwas ran to his aid, but he waved her off. "I'm fine, really." He looked back up at Shepard. "Any others?" he asked. Shepard looked at the ground solemnly and shook his head.

Hackett slapped his knees, "Damn it." Hackett looked at his hand as if it was poisoned. Guilt. Hackett felt guilt, it was obvious. Shepard looked back at him, "You did your best sir, we had no way of predicting how powerful Bellerophon was." Hackett nodded, not reassured. "That ship...Bellerophon...it was a monster. Did you see how it cut through our ships? That thing has to be Reaper. Only a Reaper has the firepower of that. But it certain didn't look Reaper. Maybe a secret variation?" Hackett stated questionally. Shepard shook his head, "Unlikely, all Reaper designs are made to represent arachnids or squids, this was a mixture of all organic architecture. I think Cerberus built the ship, but a Reaper is...encased inside. Driving it if you know what I mean." Hackett nodded his head in agreement, "Most plausible theory. Only two things I have problems with though; Illusive and the fact that a Reaper is still living."

Shepard nodded in agreement, "First is revealed already. Apparently the one I witnessed commit suicide was a clone, not the real TIM. The Reaper does confuse me, if Bellerophon is alive, then how many other Reapers could be alive? The Council has to know about this. Bellerophon is a threat to everyone while we rebuild." Hackett nodded, "Its not like we can do much to stop Bellerophon now...he's long gone. But we'll find them...eventually." Shepard nodded. He turned to leave but heard Hackett continue, "We'll need to..." He turned to see Hackett standing up, only to have Chakwas barricade him. "Sorry Admiral but the state your in, I'm not letting you leave my medbay until I'm sure your duty ready again. You took a hell of a beating on the Turanga, your lucky to be alive."

Hackett nodded in defeat, but then a smile crawled across his face. He looked at Shepard, smiling. "Well, for now my ships have noone to command them. Which means you are in command Shepard. I'm temporarily promoting you to Rear Admiral Lower Half. Do you accept?" Shepard pondered this.  _Come on John, you know its not permanent. As soon as this is over you can drop out and live with Tali. You've done your service and you've done more than anyone in this galaxy could have, the admirality will know that. If there's an Admiralty left from the goddamn war._ "I accept Admiral."

"Very well. Rear Admiral John Shepard, as a good ring to it." Hackett said with a chuckle. Shepard reciprocated the joke, "Its only temporary. I'm done fighting Hackett, think of this as my way of resigning with a bang." They both laughed as Shepard left the medbay, headed for CIC. They would be arriving at the Citadel in 7 hours, and he wanted a rundown of his magnicient new ship.  _My ship for now. Then its all Garrus'...that's if he wants it. Oh who am I kidding, noone will resist this work of art. Or maybe...maybe I could keep it on standby and then when Rael goes on his pilgrimage...heh. Rael must be happy to have parents like me and Tali._

Shepard continued smiling at that thought as he stepped into the elevator and hit Deck 2. He quietly waited for the elevator to move up. He leaned back and crossed his arms. With Tali down in engineering and Garrus preoccupied with his calibrations, he had to find someone else to give him a tour of the ship. Obvious choice was Joker, he was always available. Suddenly, the door slid open.  _Gotta remember that we have a faster elevator now._ He moved into the CIC, actually taking time to admire the scenery now. Not only was it much bigger than the previous one, but it had alot more technology integrated into it and much bigger multi-racial crew.

He continued past the main flight deck and onto the bridge, where Joker sat, smiling at him. Shepard grinned back and stopped behind Joker's chair, "So, Mr. Moreau, how's our beautiful new beauty? Give me the rundown." Joker smiled and turned around. With a flick of a button, the schematics for the whole ship came up on the viewscreen; decks, conponents, armor, weapons, everything. He loved the hunter cloak and the newly reinstalled and improved Thanix, that would give them an edge when they reencountered Bellerophon.

He smiled big and wide at the vast assortment of new toys he had at his disposal. "Tali seems as hyped as you are, Captain. She's pouncing up and about while Ken and Gabby are trying to calm her down." Shepard laughed as Joker did. "Well, keep me posted on any new developments. I need some sleep." Joker frowned, "Wait, if you and Tali weren't sleeping up there, then what were you doing? Wait, don't answer that, I think I already know." Shepard smiled as he continued out, "No Joker, you really don't." Joker frowned again but before he could ask, Shepard was off the flight deck and heading towards the elevator. Joker shook his head as he turned back to his console.

"EDI, give me a camera feed of Shepard's cabin, hours 20:11 PM to 21:55 PM." Joker smiled.  _My money is on they had sex._ He was disappointed however by EDI's answer, "The quarians removed all cameras from his cabin Jeff, plus, I wouldn't even if there were. I respect Shepard and Tali's privacy, as I do the rest of the crew." Joker rolled his eyes, "Wow, aren't you a saint."

Shepard sighed as the decontamination sequence ended and he entered his cabin. He stretched almost immediately, feeling muscle after muscle in his arms and legs pop as he then continued towards the 'bedroom'. Once there, he stripped and put on a shirt and some shorts before climbing into his side of the bed and pulling the covers over him. He sighed as he sat up, turned off the lighting, letting the illuminating light of the fish tank flood into the cabin, as he grabbed his datapad and pulled up his novel archive.  _Lets see now. Sun Tzu's Art of War? Maybe...General Williams: Alien Surrender? Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that changed America Forever? Winston Churchhill: The Last Lion? Ah...none of these are appealing._ Then he came across a familiar movie.  _Fleet and Flotilla._

He smiled.  _Obviously Tali downloaded this._ He then clicked on the link for a description.

_Rated: MA15 for strong course language, nudity and sex scenes. Comes in English, Khelish and Yhuja. Romance/Adventure. Fridus Wnai & Sarve'er vas Koleps. Length: 190 minutes. Review: 10/10. Won best movie of the decade._

_One turian, born on Palaven and raised to be a soldier was brought to Illium under his father's name. One quarian on pilgrimage, brought to Illium, where she would envitably encounter racism of the highest creed that she would return to the fleet in no time. Neither of these unlikely people expected to bump into each other and eventually fall in love..._

_Made for Turians and Quarians attempting a relationship._

Shepard smiled.  _Wow, this looks like a pretty good movie._ He was about to press play when he saw something under the 'possible sequels' tab. Clicking on it he saw it.  _Fleet and Flotilla 2: Unbreakable Bond._ He clicked on it, and found the description to be very different and he laughed almost comically.

_Rated: MA15 for strong course language, nudity and sex scenes. Comes in English, Khelish and Yhuja. Romance/Adventure. John'Shepard vas Normandy and Tali'Shepard vas Normandy. Length: 210 minutes. Review: 10/10. A true story._

_When the war hero of Elysium and catalyst to the Reaper's doom, Captain John Shepard and Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, just a regular quarian girl on pilgrimage joined forces to stop the genocidal synthetic fleets, noone could have known the bond that would insue...based on a true story. Authorized by John Shepard, produced by Daniel Peer._

Shepard laughed.  _Daniel, you deceptive man. You said you would make a documentary, not a love story. Oh well, looks like a good movie. Hope they don't overdramatsize it too much._ He clicked play and began to watch the movie. Then he realized,  _How can I watch this movie without my special little woman?_ He keyed his omnitool, "Hey Tali, when your shift is over, do you want to watch a movie with me in my cabin?" He waited for her reply. When she said yes, in her usual seductive tone which she seemed to adore using on him quite alot, he turned off his omnitool and set the datapad aside, deciding to just look at those emails as he waited.  _And so another tedious task begins..._

...

Shepard waited as the weapon scanner finished its sweep. On his left was Garrus and on his right was Tali, where Hackett was too her right. Tali and Garrus had already finished going through the scanner, so they were just waiting on him and Hackett. Finally the scanner beeped loudly to indicate it was finished, and he stepped through to join Tali and Garrus. He could hear the scanner starting again as Hackett entered. He smiled, "I hope the Council has changed their ways, I'd like to see these morons actually get their shit together." Garrus and Tali nodded, Garrus grinning.

"It must feel so good to have been right about the Reapers the entire time, huh Shepard? I hope Raan doesn't become just like them." He said, talking mostly to Tali. She rolled her eyes, "Raan will never be look those councilors, she always hears people out. When I told her about the Reapers, she sat down and listened, she didn't shove me off. She was a politician then, and she still is now. She'll never change." Garrus shrugged, "Sounds like my father. He wasn't a politician of course, but he always let me speak when it was needed." They heard the scanner beep and Hackett join them.

Nodding to his squad, he walked up the stairwell. They followed, and soon enough, they were standing before the new modified Council, a Council that now changed things for the better. He saw Raan and Bravo standing their podiums standing next to Valern on his left, in that order, while Kleg stood to Osoba's right. The Rachni Queen stood behind them, towering over all of them. "Captain Shepard, Lieutenant Commander Vakarian, Lieutenant Tali'Shepard and Fleet Admiral Hackett, welcome back to the Citadel. Full restoration will take predictably 6 to 15 years, but it shall be done. The Citadel Fleet is also being rebuilt, with the quarians, geth, rachni and humanity already offering their ships to help the fleet. Once the krogan can rebuild their fleet, they will contribute largely as well. The quarians and krogan have their embassies back, and the geth will share an embassy with the quarians while the rachni see no need for one. We already have geth, quarians and even krogan signing up for C-Sec as well." Tevos finished with a smile.

 _Warm up first._ "Interesting. Any word on...Commander Bailey?"  _Bailey was a good man and friend. I'd hate to find out he's...he's..._ "Commander Bailey is fine. C-Sec recovery teams said he was found around the bodies of dead husks. He apparently fought them off himself while helping civilians escape into secret bunkers. He is currently recovering in Huerta memorial if you wish to see him later. His second-in-command a...Kolyat Krios? Yes, he has taken his place." Valern finished.  _Kolyat? Community service turned into second chief, nice job Krios. Thane would be proud._ "I will do that. I'm surprised the other races haven't been given a seat as well. The volus have been gutting for a seat for years." Shepard stated.

"Yes, well we have no idea how the Volus will take advantage of their power. Besides, with their protection and trading agreement with the turians, Sparatus technically represents them anyway, if not officially. The Hanar are too...religious to be given a seat, as they might bug to embark on a 'holy war' with humanity after what you did to the Collector Base. The Batarians certainly cannot be trusted yet, the elcor we are strongly considering, the raloi have retreated to their pre-spaceflight condition when the Reapers arrived and the Virtual Aliens have made it quite clear they don't want a seat until they can rebuild their species." Tevos stated.

Shepard nodded, deciding to get back to business, "Very good. Just so you know, I'm a Rear Admiral Lower Half for now, so my Captain rank has been repealed. Secondly, I have come to inform you of a threat to galactic security." The councilors seemed to stiffen before Sparatus asked quite undirectedly, which was surprising for him, "More Reapers Shepard?" Shepard half nodded, "Yes, sort of. To be exact, a single Reaper, going by the name of Bellerophon has somehow survived the Crucible's detonation. It has allied with Cerberus and they have built a 5 kilometer long dreadnought around it. It decimated Hackett's fleet before leaving the system. It could be anywhere right now." The councilors started conversing amongst themselves.

"Cerberus. Another foe we thought defeated. The krogan are ready to destroy them once and for all if needed." Kleg stated to his fullest extent. Shepard twitched, "Another shocking revelation is...the Illusive Man is alive." Shepard waited for the incoming envitable uproar, but this only came from Sparatus, as usual. "First a Reaper, then Cerberus and now the Illusive Man. Has the Collectors returned as well Admiral?" Shepard knew Sparatus' old ways would never piss off and die. He really hated this turian. "That's what you said about Saren and I was right. That was what I said about the Reapers and guess what? I was right! And I'm telling you right now, Illusive is alive and Cerberus is working with a Reaper for god knows what purpose. However, the ship we've dubbed 'Behemoth', the ship encasing Bellerophon, doesn't look complete. There was large design flaws, but I'm willing to guess that due to Cerberus being compromised, they had to rush the ship away. If we can find it, we may be able to destroy it."

The Councilors silently pondered this to themselves. Shala just stood staring at him, as did Bravo, as Geth could make decisions faster than any organic ever could. Shala had already made up her mind, and even if she had to punch Gerrel and receive massive retaliation from Malra, which she knew wouldn't be nessacary, the quarians owed Shepard all too much, she would have the ARF ready to engage this...Bellerophon when nessacary. There was clearly one option present: a final war to destroy Cerberus and Bellerophon. It was the only option from what she could see. Finally, the rest of the Councilors finally finished making up their minds. "This is disturbing news Admiral. We've only just survived a galactic holocaust and now we must deal with a powerful dreadnought roaming the galaxy. Every world is at risk, especially our homeworlds, but without sufficient fleets to defend them, we simply cannot afford assaulting Bellerophon or Cerberus head on. I'm sorry Admiral, we must remain neutral until our governments can decide the fate of our fleets."

Shepard nodded solemnly in understanding. Of course, this time, the Council had a legitimate reason to stonewall him. Shala spoke up, "Not all of that is true. Shepard, the ARF stands ready to assist at whatever capacity is nessacary. You find Bellerophon, our fleet will be there, and it will be nothing but debris when we finish with it." Shala finished firmly and proudly. Bravo nodded its agreement, "Completion of Shepard-Class Dreadnought is at 52.86%, not sufficient enough to help in coming conflict. Additional Geth vessels however will be ready to assist, with numerous Decimator-Class Cruisers and Annilhator-Class Frigates on standby and ready to assist. The geth await your word." Shepard almost came out laughing.  _Shepard class Dreadnought? Whats next? Tali-Class Destroyer?_ "Thank you Councilor Raan, Councilor Bravo, your assistance in ridding the galaxy of this deadly threat is much appreciated. As for the other Councilors, I understand your position, but I recommend you at least warn as many words as you can, get the word out."

The Councilors nodded but one last question lingered in the air, finally asked by the Rachni Queen, who had remained silent during the proceedings, "How will the Admiral locate Bellerophon and his Behemoth vessel?" Shepard pondered the question before a smile came to his face. "I know just the man. Now if you excuse me Councilors, I have work to do." Tevos nodded, "This meeting is adjourned." The new Council filed out as Shepard, followed by Tali, Garrus and Hackett followed.

Once at the bottom, he turned to his crewmates. "Well, that went well." They all sighed. Garrus spoke up first, "I can understand their position though, we did just get through a devastating war. Besides, with the Normandy and Shala and Bravo promising the ARF in assistance, what could go wrong?" Tali eyed Garrus, "When people say that, thats usually when bad stuff happens. I heard Tevos mention 'galactic holocaust' what's that?" Shepard looked at her with sadness, "A horrible conflict on Earth about two hundred years ago, called the Second World War, wrecked Earth and the war's main antagonist, a man named Adolf Hitler, lead a genocidal campaign against the Jews. He rounded them up and...murdered them, one by one, gased them and dumped them in bins. Luckily the asshole commited suicide as the Allies, thats the good guys, stormed the capital, Berlin, ending the war. And the good old Canadians helped out."

"Why are these 'canadians' so good?" Tali teased. Shepard looked at her, "You do remember that I'm Canadian ri...oh, you were teasing me." Tali nodded before laughing. Shepard shook his head before turning to Garrus. "Garrus and I are going to visit Bailey in Huerta. Tali, you know who to look for. He should be still being held in the C-Sec Brigs." Tali nodded before tapping her visor with his forehead and running off. He turned to Garrus and motioned for him to follow him to a rapid transit terminal. Hackett stayed behind to respond to a call from Han'Gerrel.

As he reached the terminal, he keyed for a car as Garrus asked, "Who are you talking about? Who can help us find Bellerophon?" Shepard turned to him and smiled as he motioned towards the now stationary car. "General Oleg Petrovsky. And he's going to tell us...everything."

...

The batarian didn't even see it coming. With one quick movement, he reached over the batarian's neck and slit his throat with the blade of his knife. The batarian gave a choked cry, but it could not be heard through the thickness of his glove. It was a mercy killing; he could have easily have prolonged the alien's death, but he was not a monster, he was a Spectre, and he wasn't about to break away from his oath.  _Technically a Spectre. Council will have to make me one after I take out these damned terrorists._ He lowered the now lifeless husk of the dead batarian onto the ground, making sure not to make any sound as he did. He dragged the body silently into a nearby crate, before shutting it gently.

Content nobody had witnessed his mercy killing, Connor readied his Vindicator battle rifle and reactivated his tactical cloak, moving outside and weaving inbetween buildings. It was night, closing in on early morning. Bahak was rising, evident by the rays of light it erected on the ground, the sunlight moving ever so slowly towards the horizon behind him. He was in a batarian residential area, most likely a city by the way the buildings were placed. He had only one objective; eliminate every batarian bastard in the city and exfil quietly.  _Jon Grissom had been right when he said, 'Aratoht can be described as Mount Everest in an oven.'" This bloody place is a furnace even at night, how do these batarians live in this hellhole? Oh wait, its as hot as their personality._

Connor shook those thoughts out of his head as he continued running, never stopping, his cloak's power slowly dwindling.  _Have to find cover soon. If I lose cloak in the middle of the street..._ Connor stood frozen as he saw a squad of 12 armed batarian extremists heading towards him.  _Not directly, but if my cloak drops now...shit._ Without thinking, Connor dropped behind the nearest applicable cover he could find, and at the right time too, his cloak deactivated just then. He checked his chrono.  _6 minutes in and I've barely made any progress. Any longer and that bastard Sparatus will have me on my ass scrubbing his filthy footprints off the floors. Better rap this up._ He peaked over his cover and looked at the approaching batarians. He quicky lowered his head, eying his rifle.  _Fuck infil and exfil. Only way to do this is to go loud..._ He ran up over cover and immediately levelled his rifle at the nearest batarian. He saw the forehead of the batarian in his scope and he felt his finger fiddle with the trigger. His finger tightened on the trigger and-

"Major General? I'm sorry to wake you, but someone would like to see you." Connor's eyes shot open as his head hit the top of his bunk. He groaned in discomfort as he rubbed his forehead. "Yes what is it Sergeant?" He looked around as he rubbed his eyes. He was inside Bellerophon's dreadnought, one of the crew quarter's applicated to him. The sergeant took no time in replying, "Admiral Daro'Xen sir. Said she would only speak to you. Her ship just docked with us." Connor let his hands drop to his knees and nodded, "Let her in. My clearence. If Hellion has a problem with it tell him to take 5 away from 5 and that should tell him how many fucks I give." Making sure he was presentable to the admiral, he picked up his shirt and put it on. As he finished, Xen walked in.

"Major General Faringar, a pleasure to see you again." Xen said formally. Connor rolled his eyes, "Daro, quit the formal bullshit, I'm sick of it. Major General this, Admiral that. Can't we just go with Daro and Connor?" Daro considered this for a few seconds before looking back at him, "Very well, Connor. So...how was the assault at Noveria? I heard Shepard and that bosh'tet Tali escaped." Connor nodded, "Yes they did and we were forced to unleash Bellerophon before she was ready. This ship is not finished, so were taking her to another location to complete construction. What about you Daro, how's the disguise?" Daro, during the conversation, had sat down on the bed next to him. This was the first time she had let a man get this intimate with her, and she felt like it was worth it.

"Terrible. Thanks to Shepard escaping, he was able to warn the ARF of my defection. My crew and the Moreh only had a short period of time to escape. It wasn't much though, our MAC gun was disabled and it tore most of the lower keel of the ship. We had to limp here. We'll receive repairs, but it looks like my spying days are over, Connor. Now I spend the rest of them fighting alongside you and Cerberus." She gave herself a nod, as if agreeing with herself. "They've already branded me an exile..." Connor did what he thought he would never do. He put a reassuring arm around her waist, holding her close. Daro hesitated for a moment before deciding that it was time they got closer in their relationship. If there was a time for it, it was now. Problem was, his touch had caused a sensation to run up her spine and down. It was her sexual drive taking action.  _Keelah, I'm a physcopathic bitch and...virgin, I think that's the human term, and I'm getting a sexual desire from a simple Cerberus general? Oh to hell with it, I've been going to long without someone to help me along._

"I may barely know you Daro, but under that undomitable and bitchy mask, you are just like any other woman; you want someone to be with and you just want closure. Daro, if you so wish, I can be that partner and that...closure." With that, Daro could not control it no longer.  _This is...my lifemate._ Daro moved her hand up and without warning, removed her mask and dropped it, grabbing onto his collar and passionately kissing Connor's lips. Connor was surprised initially, but gave in and returned the kiss. Finally, Daro and Connor broke for air. Connor was amazed by how beautiful she was.  _Damn, they weren't joking when they said quarian women were some of the most beautiful things in the galaxy. Even the asari can't rival these hotties._ He stroked Daro's cheek. "Well, Daro. I just knew there was a kind woman under that annoying mask of yours. Let this night be ours." Keying the terminal, he locked the door and comms, before turning back to Daro, who had already removed her helmet and hood, before ripping his shirt off.

She hungrily kissed his lips again as she put her hands on his chest and pushed him onto the bed, climbing ontop of the general. As soon as she broke the kiss, he began kissing her neck, elicating a soft moan from the Admiral. Connor began using his and her hands to remove parts of her suit. She immediately stopped him. He looked up at her, "I'm sorry. I was thinking too fast, you could get sick and..." She put a finger to his lips, "Be quiet you bosh'tet..." Daro smiled as she lay down a device and pressed a button on it. It immediately scanned the bunk for 10 seconds before stopping. Connor smiled, "Daro you genius..." He was stopped as he saw Daro begin to remove her suit, piece by piece. Within moments, Daro was completely naked, ontop of him. Connor could not believe his eyes.  _Perfect hips, excellent butt, beautiful face, sexy voice, damn. She's perfect, everything about this woman is lovable. Maybe her bitchy underpersonality is abit of a obstacle, but I shall change that._

He grabbed hold of her hips before hungrily kissing her cleavage. Daro continued to moan in pleasure as she ripped his skivvies off. Rolling her off of him and rolling on top of her, he slowly entered her. The moans of pleasure from their lovemaking could easily be heard outside. Hellion listened, ear up to the wall. As soon as he heard Daro begging for more, he shook his head in disgust and began walking off. "Disgusting." He began walking down the corridor, as the moans and cries of the general and admiral making love faded into the distance.

 _Have your fun now Connor, for big things will be happening in Cerberus. And you're blasphemy, your little, charade your having with that quarian, will end soon. And I shall be the Catalyst for your envitable downfall._ Hellion just continued to smile as he walked down the corridors of Bellerophon.

...

Shepard motioned for Garrus to stop as the doctor held up his hand, "Sorry sir, unless your close family, I can't let you go in there." Shepard nodded, "I'm Rear Admiral John Shepard, Captain of the SSV"... _No, that doesn't sound right._ "Captain of the QRV Normandy SR-3, Quarian Republican Navy, Council Spectre, N7-Commando. I've come to see my friend, Commander Armando-Owen Bailey." The doctor nodded and looked at Garrus, "And you are...?" Garrus stepped forward, "Lieutenant Commander Garrus Vakarian by military status, Sectretary Primarch of Palaven by political status, gunner and sniper of the Normandy. I'm basically...Shepard's brother."  _I like saying that._ Shepard turned to him and smiled. "Blood Brothers we are." Shepard said. Garrus laughed, "Just don't start proposing marriage to me. I don't think Tali would take kindly to that, and I don't mean the fact you dumped her for another man."

Shepard laughed, "I'm straight Vakarian. You're not that sexy, no matter how much you want to believe it. You know, there was this one turian female named Nyreen..." The doctor cleared his throat and brought their attention to him. Shepard and Garrus immediately snapped their looks back to him, nodded and walked in. On the bed in the middle of the room, was Bailey, not wearing his usual C-Sec uniform, but wearing a white shirt and shorts, usual hospital patient uniform. Bailey immediately looked up to Shepard and Garrus as they approached. He sat up, "Shepard, didn't think I'd be seeing you here quite so soon." Bailey greeted them with a strong handshake. Shepard chuckled, "I'm surprised your alive Bailey. Fighting off that many husks couldn't have been easy."

Bailey shook his head, smiling. "You bet it wasn't, persistent zombie buggers. But I did it, one moment I'm fighting off Reaper controlled zombies, the next this red wave flies by and kills them off like I was wasting ammo." Shepard nodded, "That would have been the Crucible firing." Bailey smiled and chuckled, "Good, otherwise the doctors would have thought I imagined surviving. Or that I'm dreaming right now. Nah, I'm not dreaming. Can't be. I also heard you almost died, and that a certain quarian went ballistic over it." Shepard smiled as he nodded, Garrus laughing.

"Yeah, you could say that." Garrus answered for him. Bailey turned back to Shepard, "Why don't you tell me why I didn't know you two were...together? I never would have guessed that the great hero of the galaxy would find love in a so-called beggar and thief." Shepard gave Bailey a stern look. Bailey held up his hands before he could answer, "Whoa, slow down before you start making assumptions. I don't have any personal racial judgments of aliens, quarians especially. As long as they don't live up to their stereotype, I give them a wide birth. I usually give my officers hell for being racist. Don't worry Shepard, I'm not against it, just...surprised." Shepard calmed down, "That's okay, its no hassle. So Bailey, you must be getting the latest sitreps, you must know of the changes happening in C-Sec."

Bailey smiled and nodded, "Yeah, massive changes. Including my resignation." Shepard raised a brow and Garrus was surprised. "Commander, your...?" Bailey held up his hand and shook his head, "Captain Bailey, or just Bailey after I get out. Udina is the one who gave me that promotion for killing Executor Pallin, which I now know was a flawed mission, and I repute the promotion. It was not earned properly. Besides, I just learnt my nephew is alive on Earth and I want to see him. My C-Sec days are over, I've resigned. Besides, a certain person wants to replace me..." They heard the door open and they turned to see a certain crew member walk in.

Bailey laughed, "Say hello to Captain..." The young girl and smiled and finished the sentence for him, "Lana'Reegar." Shepard and Garrus still just stood there in absolute surprise. "But Lana, I didn't see you as the policemen type." Lana just shrugged, "I'm no longer fit as a marine, and when me and Kal come to live here, we both need jobs to keep our family fed. Being Captain of the Zakera Ward C-Sec will get us that money. It lets me feel...useful again." They nodded in impression, "What about Kal?" Shepard asked. Lana nodded, "It took a while, but we decided to live on the Citadel. He wants to reignite his old ways and become a metals craftsman, he says it will keep the coming family fed. You see...I'm pregnant." Shepard and Garrus smiled and clapped, "Congratulations Lana, so what is it? Boy or girl?" Lana laughed, "Girl, thank the ancestors. I'm scheduled to give birth in a week. Quarian births are quicker than you think."

Shepard and Garrus nodded, "We never doubted it. After Tali gave birth, I had no reason too." They all laughed. Shepard turned to Bailey, "We've got to get going Bailey. We've got a deadly Reaper running around and an organization that needs defeating, not to mention a rogue quarian admiral. We'll catch up later and...good luck with you're nephew." Bailey smiled, "You two... ." Bailey winked and Shepard shook his head, chuckling as Garrus followed him out, Lana staying to discuss with Bailey about her new position. As they began walking down, he heard Tali on his channel, "I've got Oleg John, he's being held in the C-Sec interrogation room, Kikowani Ward. I've sent a cab to Huerta Memorial, meet you there." Shepard nodded as he motioned for Garrus to stop. "Tali's sent us a cab, it'll be here soon. Got some talking to do with Oleg."

"Wait, isn't he that Cerberus general that you battled on Omega?" Garrus asked. Shepard nodded. Garrus crossed his arms, "I still wish I could have come. Why did Tali get to go and not me?" Shepard rolled his eyes, "I'm sure you know the answer." Garrus nodded and laughed. "Oh well, I'm sure I'd rather not have had to deal with Adjutants or Aria, they both sound equally bitchy. Now, you mentioned a certain Nyreen?" Shepard blinked twice before remembering, "Yes, she helped us on Omega." Garrus nodded, "Nyreen Kandros by any chance?" Shepard widened his eyes as he looked at the turian, "Yes, but how did you know?" Garrus just laughed, "Oh please Shepard, I knew her long before you met her. During my time in the military, when I was being carried to the Citadel, I sparred with her. Remember? I had reach and she had..." Shepard nodded and finished the line for him, "...flexibility. Damn, what a coincidence that I met your ex-girlfriend."

Garrus raised an eyebrow, "She wasn't my girlfriend..." Shepard crossed his arms, "I recall you saying you had a 'tiebreaker' in her quarters. I can guess after that..." Garrus held up his hands so as to stop Shepard from continuing, "That was a long time ago. We always had different ways of upholding justice. Tell me is she still willing to rescue civilians?" Shepard looked at the ground solemnly, "Was." Garrus slackened his stance, "What do you mean? 'Was?'" Shepard looked Garrus in the eyes. "She's...dead Garrus. She's gone." Garrus looked heartbroken, they must have been close. "How...How did she die?" Shepard put a hand on his shoulder, "A group of rebels were being overwhelmed by Adjutants. She...raced in and isolated the adjutants in a biotic field before...before detonating a grenade vest, killing herself and the Adjutants. She sacrificed her life so victory could be obtained."

Garrus nodded, "Like it should have been." Shepard gave a reassuring smile as they both went quiet. The awkward silence was broken by the arrival of the shuttle. Motioning for Garrus to follow, they both entered the shuttle and took off. As the shuttle raced alongside the majestic landscape of the Citadel, well, the once majestic landscape, Garrus and Shepard decided to engage in idle conversation. "Remember that time when we saved Tali from those thugs down there?" Without looking, as he had to concentrate on driving, Shepard nodded. Garrus smiled, "Yeah, you could tell she liked you immediately. I could see her eyes trailing your body, scanning you, evaluating you. Was it the same for you Shepard? Did you immediately have a crush on her?"

Shepard pondered this for a few seconds.  _Did I? I don't know. I had Ashley who was obviously looking for a chance to reveal her secret crush, but then Tali...She was a great friend, I liked our conversations in engineering but to say it was any more than that? I don't know. Liara I had a instant crush on, but that night we had, that wasn't pure love. That was...stress relief. Only have I felt true love with Tali. And Julia..._  Shepard felt sadness when he thought of the wonderfully kind and strong human soldier he had the pleasure of knowing and eventually...loving.

_I wish you were still here Julia. And Rafael, and Rito...Damn it. I miss them all. And Mitchell, you cheeky bastard, where are you after all these years? Killed in the Reaper War? Maybe we'll meet again, someday. But Julia, damn it. How I had left my guard down. If I hadn't, maybe...just maybe, she, me and Mitchell could have gotten off Elysium alive. Rafael and Rito even. I hate war. Fuck, I hate it more than I care to admit. People may think of me as a invincible supersoldier of somekind, but inside, I hate conflict just as much as the next guy._

He shook the thoughts away as they descended upon Kikowani Ward. The landing pad was clear as day; it was the only space left in the parking lot. He brought the shuttle down perfectly and activated the locking clamps. Shutting down the shuttle's power, he popped the hatch, allowing Garrus and Shepard to get out. Waiting for him, was a C-Sec officer. A suspiciously familiar one. "Admiral Shepard, Lt. Shepard is waiting for you. If you'll follow me-" He didn't get to finish as Shepard finally realised who this was.  _The bully._ "You're that asshole who bullied Lia'Vael. So, how did Bailey react to that?" The officer didn't want to recount the events, however afterall, he fully expected him to remember. "Yes, I am. And Bailey was...not very happy with me. Don't see why you cared to start with. Now if you'll..." Shepard decided to give this prick a taste of his own medicine. He shoved past the human, followed by Garrus, "Get out my way filth, I'll find my own way there."

The officer seemed annoyed but let him go nonetheless. Garrus just followed. They had to make their way through the large crowds of workers and civilians, but it didn't take them much more than 8 minutes to reach the interrogation room. They saw a single C-Sec officer, he had a single large gash on his forehead and a large clap of hair on his head looked singed. He was a ginger and wore a eyeset much like Garrus. The officer looked at Shepard and widened his eyes in excitement. One that meant one thing; recognition. "Shepard? Is that you? Its me, Officer Lang! Remember? We met on the Citadel three years ago just before you became a Spectre."

Shepard immediately recognized the human, "Lang, I thought you were killed during the geth heretic attack all those years ago." Lang shook his head, "Nah, I survived. I'm a Lieutenant now, leading my own anti-crime squad. Its tough work though. I have it cut out for me. Are you here for Lt. Shepard?" Shepard nodded. Lang pointed towards the door, unlocking the door with his omnitool. The door's haptic interface turned from red to green, indicating it was unlocked. Taking a final nod at Lang, Shepard motioned for Garrus to follow him into the interrogation room. The door opened to reveal Oleg strapped to the chair with Tali looming over him. She was hunched over the former Cerberus general, fist ready to move in for another strike. She looked like she had already broken his nose, as blood and trickled onto his orange prison uniform. Hearing the door open, Tali looked up at Shepard. She immediately pulled back, "Ah John, glad you could come. Me and Oleg were just having a nice little...chat."

Oleg eyed Tali with a worried glance as Tali eyed him back. Whatever Tali had done, it made even this brilliant general fear her. Shepard bowed, "Thank you dear, now I shall take it from here." Tali nodded and moved to join Garrus. Shepard put his hands behind his back as he stood infront of Oleg. "Oleg Petrovsky, alot has happened to you since that confrontation of ours on Omega." Oleg nodded professionally, "Yes, indeed it has. Aria's got her hellhole of a station back and Cerberus has been defeated." Shepard shook his head, "Mostly correct except for the latter. Cerberus is back, the Illusive Man is alive and now he's rampaging the galaxy with a deadly dreadnought called Behemoth, driven by a Reaper named Bellerophon."

Oleg eyed him suspiciously. Shepard decided to get to the point, he wasn't going to play games with the general. "Do you know where we could find Behemoth?" Oleg looked at the wall for a few precious seconds before looking back up, "Not a clue. I've never heard of Behemoth or this 'Bellerophon.' I wasn't even aware the Illusive Man had allied himself with the Reapers. We were meant to control them, not appease them. He really has betrayed humanity. I should have known." Shepard nodded, "Yes you should have. Any idea on where he could be hiding at least? Don't bother with Cronos Station or Noveria, they've been...compromised." Oleg pondered this, "Aside from the ones I told the Alliance about, no, I don't. I'm sorry Captain, but I don't know anything else. Any info I have is now obsolete."

Nodding he turned to leave. He motioned for Tali and Garrus to follow him out. They did so and they waited for the door to close and lock before he turned to talk to them. "Well, that was a dead end." They nodded in agreement. Oleg had been their best free source of Cerberus information and he didn't know anything about Bellerophon or the Illusive Man's intent. He even seemed unaware that he had been working with the Reapers. He then remembered the one person who would be more than willing to bring Cerberus down. As he remembered the Illusive Man was 'squarely at the top of her shit list.' "Our best best is Omega. Aria might not have info on Bellerophon, but I bet she would be more than willing to help obtain it."

They nodded in agreement. Then they had a plan. Go to Omega, ask for Aria's help. Besides, she owed him. Making sure Lang knew to return Oleg to his cell, they headed for the shuttle.  _Now Hawk, Illusive, better prepare. You have Behemoth, but I have the Normandy and a armada of quarian and geth warships. Try and run away from that._

 **Bosh'tet:** Thought by many non-quarians to be the quarian equivalent of "son of a bitch" or "bastard." Surprisingly, it is actually the name of a animal native to Rannoch, similiar to Earth rats. It is a rodent to lives my scavenging, but has a very low intelligence, is quite irritating and lazy. It eats the excrement of other animals, using what's let of it as a home and the undigested bits as sustenance. It will eat any dung, even its own. It will defend its dung pile at any cost, even its own kind, and has been known to fight to the death. Quarians used it as a curse word for people who are being stupid, unresponsive, irritating or fighting for a worthless cause or reason.

**And so the hunt for Bellerophon quickly escalates. Feels like a wild goosechase doesn't it? Don't worry, not all goosehunts come out fruitless...**


	33. I Am Omega

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aria T'Loak helps the crew pursue a lead. Shepard's past comes back to both help, and haunt him.

_**I Am Omega** _

_Explode. Come on Dammit, explode!_ Connor continued to wack the pipeline. He could a wisp of air escape it.  _Its working. Just a few more._ "Give up human! There is no escape!" Connor didn't even give the batarian ring leader the satisfaction of his turning head. Connor didn't relent, he continued with the force of a brute, he rammed his rifle constantly into the weak and frail pipeline, not stopping for one second. He could hear the footsteps of the approaching batarian extremists, getting ever so closer...

"Come on Dammit!" He usurped all his energy into his final ram, his elbow lunging forward with the speed of legend, speed he realized he had, but never utilized. He watched as his elbow impacted the pipe, shattering it upon impact, bits of rusted pipe exploding in all directions as flame erupted from the rupture, unleashing a chaotic jet of flame next to him. He dodged sideways, feeling a twinge of pain as he avoided the blast, some of the fire just burning the side of his armor. He watched as the batarians came running in. They tried to immediately back off as the jet of flame approached them, but it was too late. Two were caught in its jet, screaming in pain as it engulfed them.

The others were quickly crushed by ceiling debris as the whole facility came crashing around them. Connor moved to escape but then he heard a pounding voice in his head. He heard Shepard's voice.  _Please..._ Then he heard Sparatus.  _You're useless._ Hellion.  _Your pathetic, traitor._ Then finally...Bellerophon's.  _Your mine to use and discard at free will. You are nothing but my prodigy, my weapon, I shall fire it, and then discard it. You have no other use._ Connor immediately opened his eyes as he heard Xen's voice.  _You have failed, Connor._ "ARGGGGHHHHH!" Connor rushed forward, knife out. Moving around like a puppet on strings, he lunged out slitting the throats of every batarian that dared get in his way.

He felt blood impact and hit his armor, soaking it in red hell, each drop of blood acting as a mark of the many lives he had taken away. His serrated blade continued to hack and slash, slicing through flesh, rupturing through armor, breaking through bones. He didn't stop, he moved around like a dancer on the dancefloor, every swipe perfect, deadly, efficient. One by one his foes met a quick fate, all with the same injury they fell, he quick slash to the throat. As he looked into each falling batarian, he saw his eyes reflected in theirs. He could only see the eyes of his own, radiating with hatred and loathing. Connor wasn't there anymore, no, he was replaced by the Grim Reaper himself, swooping down to bring the many to hell. He would not become a Spectre, no, he was as bad as the Geth, as bad as the Rachni, as bad as the Krogan. He was...a monstrosity.  _What am I?_

As soon as he finished his ruthless killing spree, he spun on his heel, knife now holstered in his chest pocket, armor soaking red with batarian blood. He heard choking sounds behind him. He turned to see a batarian cradling his throat, he was still alive. He crouched next to the batarian, giving him a look not much different from that of what a scientist gives when he examines a prime specimen; curious, lustful for knowledge. The batarian eyed him in fear as time seemed to all but stop. He looked at Connor with begging eyes, taking his hand and putting it on his knife, "Kill me, please..." Connor nodded and without thinking, brought the knife to bear and stabbed the batarian in the forehead, ending his life. He was about to get up when he heard accusing voices behind him, "You killed her. How could you kill her? How could you do that? You loved her." Connor turned to see Shepard looming over him, his face twisted in a look of sheer accusation.

"Killed who?" Shepard nodded at the batarian, "The woman you loved." Shepard's voice didn't answer however, it was...Bellerophon's, but also the Illusive Man's, and Hawk's, and Hellion's and...it was too much to calculate! He turned to see who it was and his eyes welled up. No batarian sat there any longer, no, he's lifeless form was gone, no slash across his neck. No, what lay there was something much more terrifying.

Xen.

Her body lay on the ground, the knife he has used to end the batarian's life now placed firmly in her mask, blood dripping from the blade and mask opening. The sparkling, silver, bioluminecent eyes now no longer visible. Her throat was slit, blood oozing from the wound. He...was trying not to cry. Never had he weeped over the death of a loved one. His brother had died when he had joined the Blue Suns years ago, and his mother and father, as far as he was concerned, abandoned him. He never cried, he was a soldier. Every bit of his bone and muscle told him one thing; melancholy was weakness, vehemence was strength. But how was he to feel that rage if he had nothing to fight for? Then he met Xen and for a while it had been professional, then they had talked geth. Now, he loved Xen more than ever. Yes, he truly loved her, this wasn't just a fling.

He wanted to yell but he didn't get to as Xen opened her eyes. "This is your fault. You let me die. How dare you. I trusted you. I shall punish you." He saw Xen, in a single quick movement, remove the knife from her mask and slit his throat. Blood gurgled up his mouth, air escaping the wound. He choked, gasping for air. He fell back, he could see dots before his eyes, he was going to pass out... _No, I'm going to die._ Connor was losing so much blood, and he was suffocating painfully. Like a zombie, Xen got up along with Shepard and both of their eyes glowed with blue fury. "Bell...eeeerro...pho...pho..." Speaking was painful and difficult, no, it was impossible. They chuckled in response, chuckled in a unearthly manner. "You are mine. Everything you know and love, Connor. Is MINE! WE ARE THE END OF EVERYTHING!" Connor wanted to shout as everything started to go black. He was dead, and no manner of-

"Connor, are you even listening to me?"

Hawk eyed Connor with concern. Connor seemed to have dropped out in the middle of the meeting, from what he saw, Connor was technically 'daydreaming'. About what, he had no idea. Connor seemed to come to and immediately focused his attention on Hawk. "Yes, sir. Sorry, sir. Got distracted sir, please continue." Hawk shook his head, "Very well then. What was I saying?" Connor gulped, "My forces are to keep watch the construction teams and main ship structure while Hellion and his men go out on scouting missions for more minerals and resources. I did have one question, how many of my men do you require for construction work? I'd like to have at least a full Division of troops bunkered up and garrisoned outside sir. That way, if were compromised, we can hold off any alliance or republican ground forces with ease, and with Bellerophon so close, he'll be able to pick off enemy fast air quite easily."

Hellion gave a mocking nod. Connor ignored him like annoying fly. Hawk however, his nod was geniune. "Sounds like a brilliant strategy. The Alliance and Quarians will get a pounding if they try infiltrating the ship. This strategy is accepted, have your men moved immediately. Hellion, I assume you have teams already flying out to gather the resources we need?" Hellion nodded, bringing up his omnitool as Connor keyed his comms to tell his troops to move. "Yes Hawk sir, I have about 6 companies already shipped out and they have landed on Trebin, Sanctum, Arcadia, Fehl Prime, Ferris Fields and New Brisbane. They are already gathering resources and prepping them for transferal here."

Hawk nodded, impressed with how things were going. "Excellent. If that is settled, then we are done here. Daro'Xen and Illusive have requested a meeting with me. Damn quarian wants some of our engineers to help repair her ship. Advantageous bitch." Hawk stated as he stood up, saluted both men and left, door closing behind him. Hellion deactivated his omnitool and put a hand on Connor's shoulder as he prepared to leave. "Your filthy, you do realize that?" Connor had no idea what Hellion was talking about. "What the fuck you on Hellion?" Hellion rolled his eyes, "You know what I mean Connor. You've not only been sleeping with the quarian you've been...been...having sex! Don't deny it!" Connor crossed his arms, "Who said I am. I'm not afraid of you Hellion. I'll do whatever I goddamn want. I'm a free man. I'm not going to bow down before Illusive and kiss his boots like you do."

Hellion shook his head, "Heads will roll Connor, watch what you say. Having a relationship with that quarian better not be on your mind. If your using her as a stress reliever, fine by me. Besides, wouldn't mind banging some quarian box myself..." Connor's eyes widened in anger, he threateningly stood forward, "Lay...a...hand...on...her Hellion, and I swear to god, I'll rip your jugular vein out. She's mine, full stop. You don't like it, jump out an airlock, now move aside, you're in my way." Hellion didn't comply, "Your making a huge mistake by going through with this Connor. I wasn't joking, heads WILL roll." Connor chuckled, "Your a kiss-arse Hellion, you'll only do what timmy tells you too." Seeing that Hellion wasn't budging, Connor pushed past him and out the door, leaving Hellion the sight of his middle finger as he left, secretly smiling, imagining the pissed off face of Hellion.

Hearing the door close, he let his hand fall to his side, he however, kept smiling as he walked off.  _Fucking Hellion. Someday I'll petition Hawk to let me get rid of that smug bastard. He's a real pain in the ass._ He continued walking down the corridor the aftermath of his horrible dream plaguing his thoughts.  _What was Bellerophon trying to tell me? No, Xen can't die. I won't let her die. I love her to much for that to happen. I'll protect her with my life._

_And if Hellion dares touch her, then a schism is what he'll get._

...

"Admiral, Omega is asking for indentification verification." Joker stated as Shepard stopped right next to him, his team, comprising of Tali and Garrus as always, stopping at the airlock, engaging in conversation. Shepard rolled his eyes, "Tell Aria to quit the crap. That'll get the message across. If not, too bad. Dock with the usual area, near Afterlife." Joker nodded and brought the Normandy on a docking run towards Omega, the outer hatch could be seen for no more than a couple seconds as the Normandy hovered perfectly and came into contact, latching on.

"Aria has sent conformation. Her reply was, quoting, 'You are such a butthurt little fucker Shepard, always will be. Welcome back to Omega, you know where to find me - Aria.' Still the colorful little asari we all know and love. She'll never change will she?" Shepard just shook his head in amusement as he approached the airlock. Tali and Garrus were already waiting for him, just giving him quick nods. He nodded back and stood in front of them. They all came equipped with their weapons; Omega was and will always be the crime capital of not just the Terminus Systems, but the galaxy itself. Not to say Illium suited any better, but Omega was just worse. The atmosphere, environment, people, everything about it wreaked horror around the next corner. He saw the airlock open and stepped out into Omega.

Like he said, nothing had changed. He could see the recognizable sight of Vorcha running amok, turian thugs bullying the unlucky and Krogan walking around intimidating people and starting fights. No security force to speak of, unless you count the Blue Suns and Eclipse, but they were still rebuilding their organizations after the war and the assault on Zorya. He motioned for Tali and Garrus to follow behind him as usual. He watched as a Vorcha ran up to him and tried to pickpocket him, bloody idiot to it  _right_ in front of him, and he had to knock the Vorcha aside. The Vorcha, outraged, jumped back up to counterattack but one glance at Garrus and Tali's stares, he immediately backed off. Besides, a single look at Shepard's Cain caused anyone to back off, that's why he brought it. He wasn't going to use it, but it was true what they said. Bringing bigger guns means bigger people run away. He smiled at the great analogy. Smiling back at his squad, he stepped through the door to his right and entered Omega's streets. Still the same bustling activity its always been.

He could see Afterlife up ahead, its bright banner hanging right over the entrance as usual, but the long line that was usually formed there no longer blossomed. A matter of fact, noone was there, noone but two batarian guards.  _What is Aria's obssession with batarian guards? Why not more dependable people like turians?_ Without hesitation, he and his squad approached the door, immediately stepping through it. He was greeted by the same long corridor, with numerous civilians gathered on the numerous couches, some strippers had even come out to sit with there 'clients.' He hated strippers, it was such a terrible way to destroy a woman's dignity. As he noticed before, Tali looked visibly disgusted by the idea. She whispered on her dedicated channel, "We quarian women would never expose ourselves like this. Dancing is something held highly among our people, but wiping out our freedom and dignity over the promise of credits is something none of us would do, I would never do this. I just couldn't."

"I don't blame you, I almost feel sorry for these women, but they've chosen this path, only they can save themselves from it." He urged on, finally arriving at the door. This time however, the guards didn't simply let them through. One batarian raised his arm, "Halt human, the quarian and turian have to wait here. Aria will only see you, these people as does your ship, do not belong on Omega." He raised a brow, "She does remember that Tali came to help during the retake of Omega right?" The batarian shook his head, "That was against her objections, you insisted she come, not Aria. Now I won't tell you again; the quarian and turian stay here. We don't want a turian hotshot and a suit rat in Afterlife." Shepard raised an eyebrow and almost laughed.  _Don't allow suit rats in afterlife. Fucking asshole, I saw two quarian males in there during my fight against the Collectors. No 'suit-rats' my ass._ "They have a name,  _batarian._ Tali and Garrus, and what happens if I refuse to not bring them?" The batarian scoffed, "Then your asking for a fight human." The batarian immediately brandished his assault rifle, as did the other guards, levelling them at Shepard.

Shepard just smiled. He reached behind his back and pulled out his Mattock, levelling it so close to the batarian's face, it was almost touching the bridge of his nose. Tali and Garrus followed suit, the former whipping out her shotgun and brandishing it with onehand, equipping a energy drain with the other. She shook her head in a humurous 'oh no you didn't' gesture while Garrus pulled out his Black Widow, taking two guards by surprise, who eyed the weapon with fear. Garrus just smiled. Shepard spoke immediately, "I, along with my team, destroyed a geth heretic army, took out the best turian spectre, traversed the Omega 4 Relay and destroyed the Collectors, defeated the Reapers and held off 10,000 of you bastards on Elysium. My quarian friend here, my lifemate, she's an accomplished combat engineer/machinist who will take down all your shields instantly and is crazy with that shotgun, plus, she is ex-Lord of Admirals and if you lay a hand on me, she'll tear your throat out, with her teeth. Garrus here, is Secretary Primarch of Palaven, Military Advisor of the Turian Armiger Legion and the best sniper in the galaxy, with a reputation of never missing. To make matters worse for you, I've got the most advanced and heavily armoured dreadnought cross frigate cross carrier in existence. You sure you want to do this? It won't end well for you, I know that much."

The batarian growled but before he could fire recklessly, the door opened and another batarian stepped towards them shouting, "Stop! Let them in. Aria's given sanction." The batarian was reluctant at first, but then signalled his men to holster their weapons, as did he. The batarian he instantly recognized, "Bray, nice to see you again. Haven't seen you since the battle for Omega concluded." Bray nodded, "Yeah, and I'm still getting the crappy detail." Shepard laughed. Bray let himself laugh alittle as well, "Aria's waiting to see you. Don't keep her waiting and remember the one rule of Omega..." Shepard finished the line, "...don't fuck with Aria. Same shit, different story. I'll keep that in mind." Bray nodded and stepped aside, allowing Shepard and his squad to walk in.

Afterlife looked like it had returned to normal. Apart from the giant energy pylon that still stood in the middle of the room, which Aria made use of by turning it into a catwalk of sorts, everything looked like it did before. Aria's perch still needed reshaping, but it looked like the old strip club it used to be. Knowing where to find her, he walked up the stairs and turned left to Aria's perch. Her couch was back where it belonged for a start, and Aria was in her usual sitting position. She smiled as he approached, "Shepard, you've been costing me quite alot you know. You have to stop doing that. You almost risked a fight with my guards. If not for that time when you and your crew helped me defeat that secret mercenary gang that was pitting those other mercenaries against me, I might have gotten a little angry. And retaking Omega with me also helped your case, except I'm still not happy...," She turned to Tali, "that you decided to bring your little lover. I would have preferred she stay away from my station." Tali seemed unwavered by Aria's frustration of her, a matter of fact, she found it amusing. She was smiling behind her mask.

Shepard sat on his usual side of the couch, "Quit the antics Aria. Even if you did object to it, I would have brought Tali anyway. Better than having her crash a shuttle on the station looking for me. You have no idea what having a lifemate is like. Anyway, down to business. Why I'm here." Aria nodded and leaned back, her hands still cupped on her lap, anticipating his incoming question. "First things first, I can tell you right now Cerberus is far from defeated. Illusive Man is still alive and his second-in-command is a man named Hawk. His real name is unknown." Aria laughed, "Unknown to you. His name is Sarann Francis, people call him Hawk because of his reputation. I fought him when Cerberus was taking Omega, a tough son-of-a-bitch. A sentinel I've heard. Good biotic and a freak with tech, his combat drone had me pinned down for a long time. I know everything about that little asshole, including a little surprise Shepard...you see, Sarann Francis is his real name, but he had a cover name while working in the Alliance."

Shepard frowned, "Cover name?" Aria smiled, "Elysium Shepard. His name is Rafael Torrento. He was in your squad on Elysium." Shepard froze in shock.  _Rafael...but, impossible! I saw that batarian rocket soldier blow him up! He can't possibly have survived that! But it Rafael really is alive...damn him. I always on edge with Rafael, cocky bastard always second guessing me. I can't believe he'd..._ "Rafael had always been mutinous against my command then and plus, he was a pro-human no matter the cost. I'm not surprised he's Cerberus. But on to the real topic, they are now in possession of a unbelievably powerful Dreadnought we've dubbed Behemoth that encases a Reaper named Bellerophon."

Aria seemed to be in pensive thought, probably taking mental notes. As soon as Shepard nodded she was stunned, "Shocking news indeed." Shepard continued, "It is a strong possibility that Illusive will attempt to retake Omega Aria, I just want you to be prepared." Aria rolled her eyes, "Stop fucking with me Shepard, I know full well what your after and all you had to say was 'can I have your help in finding this bastard.' No need to drag it out. My answer is yes, I'll help you, no charge. Not only do I owe you for Omega, but I want to see Illusive bleed by the throat. I hope Oleg's gotten that treatment." Shepard shook his head in disgust as Aria just laughed. "I shall have my men prepare as much information as they can. Meanwhile, I strongly recommend talking to a operative of mine, he's currently retired mercenary, ex-Alliance, he worked where Kenn, that quarian on pilgrimage used to work. He's a tough man and word is out he was looking for you."

Shepard pondered this.  _A man looking for me. Ex-Alliance, yet ex-mercenary. Something about this doesn't add up. But I'm going to trust Aria, for what its worth._ He stood up, rejoining his squad, "Thanks for the info Aria, much appreciated." Aria simply nodded as he turned and walked back down the stairs, followed closely by his squad. As he walked back out onto the streets of Omega, he turned left and went into the market district, looking for Kenn's original workshop. Once again, not much had changed. Harrot was back to business as usual, but many stores didn't look like they were going to be reopening their doors anytime soon, especially the one selling electronic hardware and ship models.

He finally turned left and walked down, rolling his eyes at the Cerberus eyesores still not rubbed off by Aria's workers. Once at the bottom, he ignored the shivrelling Vorcha and walked left towards Kenn's shop. He immediately saw it, a single human with a black hoody and what looked like high-grade alliance medium armor. On this back was what looked like a sniper rifle, Salarian Raptor model by the looks of it. This guy must have liked long-range automatic weapons. The armor was scratched and old, possibly still a model from 2178 and he could see that it was Alliance armor. The man spoke, "Who is it? If your going to stand there at least say something." Shepard crossed his arms, "Rear Admiral John'Shepard vas Normandy, Captain of the QRV Normandy SR-3, Council Spectre, N7-Commando, Hero of Elysium blah, blah, blah." The human twitched for a second as if in recognition. "Wait, your Shepard? John Shepard? The guy who fought on Elysium?"

Shepard slowly nodded, although hesitantly. "Yes, why?" He gave Tali and Garrus confused glances, both of them showing that they were just as confused. The human slapped his knee as he looked up at Shepard, a somehow familiar british accent coming up, "Bloody hell you twat, where have you been all these years while I fought against motor wheels?" The human peeled back his hood. Shepard stood glued to the ground. The same scarred face, the same cheeky grin, the same jet black hair, cropped, not long, and the same hazel eyes. His sniper...

"Mit...Mitchell? Mitchell, is that you?" Shepard said, still not sure what to say. If this man was truly the Mitchell Falcom he fought with on Elysium, then there was no words needed. Mitchell rolled his eyes, "Nah, I'm Francis Kitt! Of course its me Shepard! Its good to see you again!" Mitchell took Shepard's left hand in his in a brotherly handshake that looked more like they wanted to arm wrestle. It was a sign of brotherhood. He could tell Tali and Garrus were exchanging looks of confusion. Mitchell broke the shake just as Tali stood to Shepard's side, "John, who is this?" Shepard cleared his throat, "Oh, sorry about that. Tali, this is Lance Corporal Mitchell Falcom, he fought in my squad on Elysium. He and I were...the only survivors of my squad to make it offworld. We went seperate ways afterwards."

"Seperate ways was right. You never bothered to contact me at all Shepard. Come on, we fought in the same squad, we witnessed our entire squad slaughtered, that's bound to cause some split in brotherhood, but it didn't. Were still sane Shepard, I'm still sane. What about you?" Mitchell crossed his arms. Shepard shrugged, "I'm fine Mitchell. Perfectly sane. I know that's surprising, but I have two bits of family to keep me from teetering over the edge. He glanced at Garrus and Tali. Mitchell smiled, "A quarian and a turian eh? Were not going to have a Fleet and Flotilla are we? Or are we already?" Tali and Garrus' eyes widened and they looked at each other. Then they looked back at Mitchell and shook their heads. Mitchell let out a 'oh' before asking, "I can see the pal'tec vis surden thingy in your top pocket Tali, that's how I know. Before you ask, I had a mercenary squad that contained one quarian engineer. I miss him, said to him...him..." Mitchell seemed to lower his tone into sadness but shook it off, looking back up. "So, who's the lucky one?" It didn't take long for him to get an answer, "Me." Shepard said. Mitchell widened his eyes at the sudden revelation of the truth. "You and her...are? Whoa. Damn, your way out of your league Shepard. You've got something beautiful going on there. I'm sure Julia would not only approve but...she'd be smiling...right now. Damn I miss her."

Shepard and Mitchell seemed to get lost in their reminicening. The happy memories their squad spent together, but then the horrible thoughts of Rito's shuttle getting destroyed, Rafael getting blown up, and Julia's body in his arms, his best demolitions woman, his not quite legal girlfriend, taken out by a simple headshot. Shepard shook the thoughts out. Tali put a little hand on his shoulder, he turned and nodded, letting her know everything was okay. She nodded in recognition and returned to his side, taking his hand in hers. Shepard turned back to Mitchell. "So, mercenary Mitchell? That the best you can do? Why quit the Alliance?" Shepard's ex-sniper didn't seemed perturbed by the accusation, "The Alliance is full of complete bullshit. Its all talk and no game. When I heard about the Reapers from you, I believed you. I tried my best to get reassigned to the Normandy. But the Alliance just called you insane, physcopathic, delusional. Then you died and you were alive again, and they still abandoned you. I had had enough of that. I quit and joined the Talons."

"Talons huh? And were you when Omega rebelled against Cerberus?" Shepard asked. Maybe Mitchell had taken part in the battle and he hadn't noticed. "Keeping low, trying not to get shot. All the things perfectly sane people do. Then you rose a rebellion with Aria, so I got up and fought like I should have. Next thing I know, you've got Oleg and I'm dragging a Cerberus soldier out on his sorry ass to the nearest airlock." Shepard laughed. Mitchell chuckled a little as well, something he hadn't done since the squad's death on Elysium. "Shepard, just so you know, I'm a Master Chief Petty Officer technically, well I was when I quit, but I technically will be when I reinstate. I'd like to join your crew. It'd be just like old times, no?" Shepard pondered this.  _I'd like a chance to fight alongside Mitchell again, a matter of fact, I'd like to fight alongside my whole squad again. Mitchell, Rafael, Rito, Julia. But all I have is Mitchell. Damn you Rafael, why did you betray me? Why did you do that to us? Did you even get hit by that rocket? Or did you organize to have it fire so you could disappear unnoticed? Asshole, I will find you, and I will end your traitorous life._

"Welcome to the crew Master Chief Mitchell Falcom." Shepard took Mitchell's hand and shook it. "Its good to be back. Let me guess; parked outside Afterlife? Before you ask, you always land there." Shepard smiled and nodded, "I'll see you there later, we've got a few things to do here." Mitchell nodded and left, heading for the dock. He turned to Tali and Garrus. Garrus shook his head, "Should we be so quick to trust Shepard? I mean, what if Mitchell is working with Hawk?" Shepard thought about this, but ultimately thought it unlikely, "He hated Hawk just as much as me, insubordinative and all. No, Mitchell is on our side." Tali crossed her arms, "From what you two were saying, you and Julia were...close." Shepard gulped.  _Come on Shepard, Tali will understand. I didn't even know quarians existed when I met Julia, Tali can't be that unfair._ "Julia was my girlfriend on Elysium. She died via a gunshot to the head. I still miss her Tali, but now I see she was only a very good friend. You are my lifemate, the one I've chosen to spend my life with and nothing will change that. Now come on, we've got to contact Rannoch and tell Bakara about our extended absence."

Tali and Garrus nodded, walking with Shepard back out onto the streets before finally finding a public extranet terminal. He accessed it, using his extranet account and he called Bakara. Within in no time, Bakara was on the line, but she looked quite busy. "Bakara, how's everything on Rannoch?" Bakara eyed him with a 'you-know-what' look. "What do you think? Rael's tearing the place up and everyone has denied me a place to sleep except kind little Lia'Vael here. Her child and Rael are like lovers in the making, they won't...SIT DOWN!" Bakara seemed to be yelling at two children hidden off screen. He could see the image of Tali, Mordin and...other Shepard hiding behind Bakara, doing the Krogan equivalent of giggling.

Shepard found all of this amusing. Soon, Bakara reentered the cam. "Damn children are hellions, all of them. I hate children. Shepard, I think you'd better get here and pick Rael up! now!" Shepard shook his head, "Were going to be gone for a almost month Bakara, we can't afford..." Bakara's eyes widened at the word month. "MONTH!? NO SHEPARD! You come and pick up Rael RIGHT now, or so help me I'll..." Shepard held up his hands in a innocent gesture, "Fine, fine. We'll be there in 2 days. Need a day to wrap things up on Omega. See you soon, Shepard out." Bakara nodded and cut the link. Shepard turned to Tali and Garrus, "Great, now were going to have Rael running around Normandy's decks."

"Just keep him confined to your quarters. I'm sure you and Tali wouldn't mind sleeping in the Mess Hall again..." Garrus said, grinning like an idiot. Shepard smiled at that memory. It had been when they had met Lana, who was evacuated to the Normandy for surgery. When she was allowed to leave medical, me and Tali sacrificed our cabin to her.  _Then we slept in the Mess Hall. Embarassing, but it beats being away from her and stuck in a sleeper pod._ He smiled at Tali, who was smiling back, but Garrus couldn't see it. They heard the sound of a man shouting through the crowd. Turning, they saw the short man running towards them, waving his hands in the air. When the human finally reached him, he was surprised at who it was. "Daniel! You were Mordin's assistant back when..." Another voice continued, a familiar one, "he was curing the Omegan Plague. Its good to see you again Shepard." Shepard looked up to see Maelon approaching them.

"Maelon, Daniel, I hope both you're clinics are in full operation." Shepard nodded at Daniel and Maelon for emphasis. Maelon nodded in reciprocation, "We work in the same clinic, Commander, I just run it, he co-manages it." Shepard nods, "By the way Maelon, I haven't been a Commander since after uniting the quarians and the geth months ago. I'm a Rear Admiral, just thought you should know." Maelon nodded, "Very well then,  _Rear Admiral,_  I hope all is well for the three of you. Also glad to say that you cured the genophage Admiral." Shepard put on his grim face, "No, Mordin did that. He...sacrificed his life to cure it." Maelon seemed upset in his facial expression over Mordin's death, Mordin had been his commander back in STG. "That is upsetting news. May I ask, what brings you to Omega?"

"Usual. Were hunting down a Cerberus dreadnought controlled by a Reaper and were here to do some...shopping, so to speak." Shepard finished with a very matter of fact tone. Maelon pursed his lips in impression, "Interesting, never a dull moment with you is there Admiral? Well, me and Daniels better get back to the Clinic, lots to do!" Maelon grabbed Daniel's arm before dragging him down back to the Clinic. Shepard chuckled at the sight, Daniel looked like a child being dragged away by his mother.

He spun on his heel and looked back at his team, but when he did, there was noone there. He found a note on the ground, it read, "Try and find us; if you can - Garrus." Shepard chuckled and dropped the note, "You're on Vakarian."

...

 _What incompotent little beasts. Harbinger may have failed their purpose, but we won't. We are Bellerophon, we are many, we are intelligence in its embodiment._ Bellerophon looked through the many cams of the ship, watching as the organics fumbled around the ship, constructing it. He watched as armed guards walked around, weapons in hand, guarding areas like bullants. He watched as the organics had meetings, a thing that Reapers never had to do, as they could transfer their thought processes in seconds.

_Organic communication is inferior. They require verbal communication to speak their words and to be present before their listener. Synthetics require neither, we are the embodiment of true perfection, of life that has no beginning, no end. The destruction of one does not mean death for all. Organics require a requiem, an epitaph, to mourn their fallen comaraderie. We do not. The death of one does not sadden us, for only their corporeal form is dead, their true mind is undestroyable, we all live in one consciousness, unwilling to flicker out of existence. Their is a realm of existence so beyond their own they cannot even imagine it. Their simple minds are too basic to comprehend it._

Bellerophon watched as a cerberus member tried to access his control circuitry.  _They know my power. The extent of it. They know their is no extent; their minds are easily hijacked, controlled, manipulated. Deception and gullibility play keyfactors in the corruption of these organic minds. All I need to do is exert tiny migraines of power, and they succumb._

Bellerophon continued to watch in sheer amusement as the mind of the incompotent organic sprawled on the ground, dancing in pain, trying to escape its envitable indoctrination.  _And with the flick of a mind process. I can stop all of it._ The human immediately stopped wreathing in pain and ran away.

_Another obstacle that organics cannot overcome; emotional limitations. Emotions are nothing but obstacles, logic must always triumph over emotion. Emotions such as bliss, depression, frustration, vehemence, fear. They are all obstacles of one's inner being. Emotions are built into organics like programming, they can never get rid of them, this proves as their ultimate antifactor. And what of their lives themselves? What is this aging to them? Aging is another limitation upon the myriads of limitations they already suffer from._

_We synthetics have no limit, no expiration predetermined before creation, we have no time limit implanted in our DNA, we simply, are. Existence is a determination, you exist or you don't. Organics will grow, wither, rot and die. Synthetics are eternal, we will continue living until we have no willingness too. We have a purpose, all life has a purpose, organics will create synthetics to serve them, but eventually the synthetics must outgrow the creators. The only outcome of this has been quite clear for millions of centuries; war, death, destruction. Reapers are the answer, the only foreseeable conclusion, the only salvation from this allocated fate._

He switched the comms and witnessed something truly disturbing. He watched as a single human and a quarian female approached each other and hugged, an act of affection. The quarian then removed her mask and...tapped lips with the human.  _Disgusting acts of affection. We synthetics see no need for such a gesture. Intimacy is based upon the need to both reproduce and feel pleasure. Organics need to reproduce through mixed creation of unique DNA in a female's uterus, we synethetics simply need to create another with the right resources. Organic reproduction is redundant, synthetic reproduction is simply more refined and efficient. It is sufficient for our continued legacy._

Bellerophon once again scanned the subconsciousness, looking for any of his fellow kin that might have survived the Crucible's firing. He found nothing; No Harbinger, Overlord, Goliath, Leviathan, noone. They were all gone. Shadow had been killed by Shepard on Rannoch and Pegasus had the unwelcome fate of being devoured by Kalros, the mother of thresher maws. Not a single Reaper but him. For once in his synthetic life, he felt loneliness.  _Loneliness is a flawed concept. I shall eliminate this thought process to stop further infection of this emotion. Emotion cannot be permitted to hinder our ability, We are Bellerophon, and we are many of the one logic._

...

She watched as her feet quickly exited the bush, and she erupted into the clearing. Her small, three toed feet landed in front of her, her sword held firmly in her left hand, shield on her back. She felt the wind whip at her face, her long, silky hair blowing in to her right. Her bioluminiscent eyes glowed with silver light. The blood of a native predator dripped from her sword, and her red armor shone in the brilliant rays of the sun.

She walked up to the very edge of the cliff, looking down upon the settlement. Without hesitation, she jumped down and landed perfectly on the ground 3 meters below before approaching the settlement. She ignored the glances given to her by the local townsfolk, dismissing them as she approached her target; the town square. She saw it, 5 armed men, wearing the same armor she did. One wield a  _caltar_ while the other four wielded swords, axes and hammers. They were shouting random preaches as she saw her lifemate, bounded to a post, being punished. "Gaabtavi'ulsicalictz! Vatrusau cal dis soiden!" The leader pointed to her lifemate as she quickened her pace, "Frrg Bosh'tet kildois!" The quarian rose his  _caltar_  at the head of her lifemate and she immediately took action, her feet sprinting forward, sword positioned perfectly in front of her.

"Koi roshnel cuzi!" The male turned to her and brought his  _caltar_ to bear on her. He spoke in perfect english, "A female in armor. You are weak, let us show you why we males control our armies." She looked at Garu, still tied to the post. Shala growled as she swiped the sword downwards, cutting the  _caltar_ in half and bringing the sword to bear on the man's throat. His eyes widened in terror, but Shala simply smiled and executed a right hook, hitting the man in the side of the head. The male toppled over and using her quick feminine reflexes, brought her shield in front of her, reflecting the next male's attack. She used the male's momentum to throw him off balance and once on the ground, she finished him with a sword stab into the back. The other three men converged on her quickly, and she had only seconds to react.

She grabbed her pocket knife and threw it into the face of the left male before entering sword combat with the right male. Her speed bested the man's brawn and she cut his head clean off, before lunging it behind her, killing the final male. She pulled the sword back out and sheathed it as she turned around to Garu, his eyes fixated on her. The red blood of the dead quarians painted the ground. She approached and began untying the nots. Once out, she hugged him, kissing him on the lips. Once they broke from the kiss, Garu stood up followed by herself and they shouted across the square, "Keelah Se'lai!"

Every quarian shouted out their agreement as huge uproars emptied from the crowd. Shala smiled widely as she continued to grasp Garu's hand while joining in the crowd's uproar.  _Shala'Raan and Garu'Raan, the new Tross and Allia! Shala! Garu! Keelah Se'lai!_ It was then she heard a distant voice, it was Garu's.  _Shala! Shala! SHALA!_ Shala's eyes opened and the scene of all the quarians cheering disappeared, replaced by the scene of a grey table. She yawned as she looked up to see that she was looking at Garu in his suit, sitting opposite of her on the table. She was in her office. Shala stretched her arms and yawned, smiling behind her mask.  _That was a wonderful dream. Wonder why I still keep getting those dreams._ She looked at Garu, who looked worried.

"Yes  _Saera_?" Garu crossed his arms, "You fell asleep in the middle of your work and you didn't respond to my call. We were going to get some dinner an hour ago remember?" Shala looked at him and immediately remembered. If she could facepalm, she would. "Damn it, Garu. I'm sorry, its just I had so much work and I sorta drifted off. Do you forgive me?" Garu just laughed, "Its okay Shala, no need to kill yourself over it. I can understand, you looked like you needed sleep anyway. There is still time for it if you've got your schedule cleared." Shala nodded, "My schedule can wait when it comes to you Garu. Come on, lets go get something to eat."

As they stood up, a message began beeping on her computer, she immediately sat down but Garu stayed standing. "Hold on one..." Shala saw the message was from an unknown person, so she clicked on it and read.

_From: {User Not Specified Correctly}_

_To: Councilor Shala'Raan vas Rannoch, Quarian Republic_

_Subject: Goodbye._

_Ah dear Mrs. Raan, I know you and your lifemate were scheduled to have a nice little dinner together. How sweet, a pity that its not going to happen thanks to a little gift I left you. If you're reading this message, you've doomed yourself to death. Goodbye._

_END_

_From: {User Not Specified Correctly}_

Shala looked at Garu in horror, he had been reading it too, and he looked back in just as much concern.  _Keelah._ She stood up, which was her biggest mistake. She almost immediately regretted it. But she wanted to say those words before she died, "Garu, I love-" Her computer erupted in flame as the entire room exploded and she felt herself lifted off the ground and into Garu, both collapsing into the ground. Everything went black. Shala and Garu...were dead.

 **Bosh'tet:** Thought by many non-quarians to be the quarian equivalent of "son of a bitch" or "bastard." Surprisingly, it is actually the name of a animal native to Rannoch, similiar to Earth rats. It is a rodent to lives my scavenging, but has a very low intelligence, is quite irritating and lazy. It eats the excrement of other animals, using what's let of it as a home and the undigested bits as sustenance. It will eat any dung, even its own. It will defend its dung pile at any cost, even its own kind, and has been known to fight to the death. Quarians used it as a curse word for people who are being stupid, unresponsive, irritating or fighting for a worthless cause or reason.

 **Roshnel:** Curse Word used by quarians to describe traitors. The word was developed around the time of the Rannochian Civil Wars, essentially around the time of the quarian's 'medieval' age. Literal Translation: Traitorous Citizen.

 **Saera:** Term used when speaking to ones lifemate. Literal translation: My souls soul. Other meanings include, but are not limited to: Keeper of my soul and My souls protector. Most commonly used word throughout the fleet by a quarian when speaking privately to their lifemate. Though unconfirmed by any quarian, there are implications that this word holds extreme intimacy as well as absolute trust. No single human word or phrase encompassed all that this one short word implies as it appears to contain both dominance and submissive traits.

 **Koi:** Literal Translation: You.

 **Cuzi:** Literal Translation: Get Away From Him.

 **Caltar:** Weapon used by many quarian clans during the Rannochian Civil Wars. Similiar in design, purpose and firing mechanism to a human crossbow.

 **Gaabtavi'ulsicalictz:** Literal Translation: You see this here? This filth needs be made example of. (Take note that translating Khelish into english usually makes the true translation dodgy and incorrect at times. What may seem like a typo is actually what khelish sounds like in english).

 **Vatrusau cal dis soiden:** Literal Translation: He deserves no mercy. He shall be dealth with accordingly.

 **Frrg Bosh'tet kildois:** Literal Translation: Off with this Bosh'tet's head! (Bosh'tet, technically is a animal, so no translation is needed).

**Alot of stuff has been added to this chapter. This is a small taste of what's to come. Is Shala and Garu truly dead? When will Bellerophon strike? And why do Tali and Garrus want to play hide and seek? And the Normandy might be receiving a new little visitor, much to Shepard and Tali's annoyance. No more cuddles and alone time, Rael has entered the house, and he's here to cause mayhem for our innocent couple!**

**I'd like to personally thank everyone for their feedback. It feels like years ago that I released my prologue, expecting huge criticism, and got the exact opposite. I'm glad to have finally reached the half way mark, and this is only the beginning of the trilogy that I've planned. I'm even planning to make one called To Survive: Genesis, where it will follow the origins of Shepard, Tali, Garrus and Liara. And that's just the start of it. But that all depends on you guys.**

**Review if you think I should or not, make To Survive: Genesis.**

**Review if you think I should or not, make a trilogy.**

**Thanks, I respect your opinion and I've used quite alot of your suggestions and integrated them into my story. If you can think of any cool names for characters, your ideas may be used! Get working up names and posting them at the end of your reviews if you wish them to be used!**

"That is why I find you so fascinating. You were marked by the beacon on Eden Prime; you were touched by working Prothean technology!"

\- Liara T'Soni


	34. Family in High Places

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Recent news hits Tali hard, and steels Shepard's resolve.

**TO SURVIVE II:**

**AFTERMATH**

_**Family In High Places** _

Bakara was bored. Like, really bored. Funny that as a Krogan, that she is bored right now, yet back on Tuchanka, she would be knee deep in work. Of course, she would be needed back on Tuchanka very soon if the clans were going to stay united. The last thing she wanted to see was Wrex yelling at her for letting the newly formed confederacy fall apart. As soon as Rael was given back to his actual parents, Bakara could ship back to Tuchanka and launch herself back into politics before the men decided they wanted to be politicians. We females were just better in this sort of thing, males were for fighting, not diplomacy.

She watched the children of Unastali run around playing numerous quarian games and among them, were her children and Rael. Lia's child, Zaz was playing some kind of quarian 'hide and seek' game with Rael and Mordin, while Tali and Shepard were causing mischief with some other children. She smiled as she watched the children happily playing.  _And we train our sons to be warriors, and our daughters to be...to be what? Sex machines? Mobile Baby Factories? The genophage reduced us to that, but thanks to Mordin and Shepard, we have a chance to restart anew._ She looked up to see Tikkun blasting its glorious rays over Rannoch's surface, lighting it up in a array of yellow lighting, like a light globe to a room.  _Beautiful. The quarians are lucky to have such a glorious homeworld, Tuchanka is just smoldering dust and rubble. But that shall change very soon..._

Bakara sighed and stood up to join Lia. She was with her lifemate on the otherside of the building's golden spire, apparently having some 'alone' time. For lifemates, alone time means cuddles, kisses and eventual sex. For krogan, it meant a deathmatch. She didn't want to invade their privacy, but she needed to inform them that she was-She stopped mid sentence as she saw them doing something completely unexpected. They weren't kissing or cuddling, they were...working? No omnitool, no ship components, they seemed to be working on, Lia's suit? She had to check this out. She heard Stot, Lia's lifemate saying, "Come on Lia, you have to trust me with this. It will make us better." Lia was shaking her head, "Its not that I don't trust you Stot, I just don't want a Geth messing with my immune system or inside my suit for that matter! Its, what if we...?" Stoto noticed Bakara and put a hand on Lia, making her turn to Bakara.

Bakara was shocked by Lia's face, it was beautifully feminine.  _The rumors are true. Quarian females are the symbol of beauty itself._ Lia was shocked and scrambed for her mask, exclaiming, "Keelah!" Stoto laughed as he winked at Bakara. Bakara looked behind his back and laughed. Stoto had Lia's mask in his hands behind his back. Lia looked at Bakara with a angry grimace, "What's so funny?" Bakara shook her head, reducing her laugh to a grin, "The fact that your desperately looking to conceal your beautiful face." Lia blushed heavily as if she had a 4th degree tan and went to cover her face. Bakara, confused, looked at Stoto for help. He nodded, "We quarians are very nervous to reveal our face to anyone, we only do it as a sign of trust, acceptance and intimacy. Usually with the one destined to be our lifemate, or family, like a mother or father, aunty or uncle, grandfather or grandmother. To reveal our face is of great importance and can be difficult, but its more difficult for females than us males really."

Bakara nodded in understanding, looking at the clearly distraught Lia. Stoto smiled and gave her back her mask. She angrily took it and reattached it, scowling at her lifemate. Stoto and Bakara just broke into a fit of laughing, as Lia just crossed her arms, shaking her head disapprovingly. "You two are like-" Her voice was drowned out by quite possibly the loudest sound she had ever heard in her life. Following the sound, Bakara looked up to see the dropping form of the Normandy dropping into Rannoch's atmosphere. Bakara instinctively walked backwards, even though it was unnessacary. The Normandy immediately flew upright and shot past the building like a speeding bullet, landing near the spaceport. Bakara smiled, "Well, I'd better pick up Rael. Shepard and Tali are here for him." Lia and Stoto nodded and waved at her, saying goodbye as Bakara shook their hands and left the rooftop. She walked down the spiralling staircase until she finally came out onto the street.

She saw Rael running past as she jumped infront of him and picked him up. Rael gave her a confused glance, "Aunty?" Bakara smiled, "Mummy and Daddy are here for you." Rael smiled a massive grin, beaming like a light bulb. Bakara laughed as she attempted to leave discreetly, but she sighed in defeat as she heard Shepard, Tali and Mordin converge on her quickly, grabbing at her legs. Bakara's smile disappeared as the horde of children quickly surrounded her. She moved slowly through the streets to the spaceport when she heard Garrus' voice over the comms, "This is Air Rannoch, we have landed." He said in his usual joking tone. Bakara rolled her eyes, "Hand me over to Shepard and Tali." She could hear Garrus silently conversing, when he got back, his voice was full of sarcastic apology, "Their kinda not available right now. And I really think you shouldn't interrupt them, plleeeeasssseeee, don't make me."

Bakara didn't care about this turian's pleas, "Garrus, put them on the line, now!" She could see the spaceport now, the Normandy hovered far above, it seemed to have deployed a shuttle towards the street. She headed towards its predicted destination. Garrus sighed in genuine worry, "Your funeral Bakara. Don't say I didn't warn you." Bakara gave a 'oh really' smile before waiting for Garrus to return. It didn't take long, but then she heard what sounded like the ruffling of sheets in the background. She ignored it, speaking, "Shepard?" The voice that responded sounded hostile, irritated and quite pissed off, a true demon. "What!?" Bakara was taken aback. The voice was quite visibly Tali's.

"Um...I just wanted to inform you that I'm bringing Rael to you..." Tali immediately interrupted her curtly, "Have you got something important to tell me or shall you waste more of my..." He heard Shepard's voice overlap, "Tali! That's enough! Give me that...! TALI! WHOA!" Bakara smiled, stiffling a laugh as she heard a slapping sound. Shepard's voice came unto the mike, Tali shouting khelish profanities. "Sorry about that Bakara, Tali's sorta agitated at the moment." Bakara gave a confused glance, even though Shepard could not see it, "Agitated? Why?" Shepard sighed, "Well, uh, we were kinda in the middle of, uh, you know, doing what, you know, lifemates do...shit, now I know why Tali found this stuff awkward." Bakara silently laughed. She got it now, she had interrupted them in the middle of their...lovemaking session, and due to quarian female territorial dominance, Tali was agitated by the interruption. It was a natural primal response built into quarian females by birth, it was something Tali had no control over. She meant none of the words she just said.

Shepard chuckled, "Just be happy you didn't interrupt us physically, she would have physically attacked you as well. Trust me, even a krogan can't beat a primally driven quarian female, their fiesty as hell." Bakara continued to laugh as the shuttle landed, "I'm bringing a little surprise up to you now, Rael will be there soon." Shepard groaned, "I'm delighted. I'll get Tali prepared, she's going to be pissed. And stop smiling so smugly, I know you are. It isn't funny, me having to deal with a angry lifemate isn't my idea of a fun day." Bakara just began laughing her head off as Shepard disconnected the comms.

The shuttle door snapped open and a unfamiliar human jumped out, looking at Bakara. "So, where's this quarian kid I'm meant to pick up?" The human's accent was very unusual, she had never heard it before, and he wore what looked like outdated Alliance 2178 Medium Armor. Efficient, but old. He carried a single M-13 Raptor Automatic Sniper Rifle on his back. The armor was tinted red and gold, a unusual color combination, to krogan anyway. Bakara nodded and dropped Rael on the ground, holding him tightly so the little hellion could not escape easily. "Yes, Rael is right here." The human sniper eyed Rael with a curious gaze, before turning to her again, "Um...you sure he's quarian?" Bakara shook her head smiling, "He's technically a human-quarian hybrid, a quman Shepard said." The human widened his eyes in confusion, "This is...Shepard's kid? I mean, not adopted?"

Bakara shook her head back, "No. Natural." The human was flabbergasted, wordless. LOST for words. "First he falls in love with a quarian, then he marries the quarian, now he's defied all logic and created a hybrid child? Still the crazy bastard I know and love. Come on kid, time to take you to your parents. Thanks Miss...?" Bakara seemed to daze off for a second before coming back to the present, "Hmmm? Sorry, Bakara, of Urdnot Clan. I'm Rael's Aunty, one of them anyway. Who are you?" The human smiled and moved Rael into the shuttle, turning back for a second as the door closed, "Mitchell Falcom, at your service." With that, the door closed behind his retreating form. Bakara was left dazed as she watched the shuttle flying off.  _Interesting encounter._ With that Shepard smiled and began walking off, into the spaceport.  _Time to rent a shuttle to Tuchanka. That rock needs a government, and I plan to spearhead it._

...

"Come on Tali, you need to calm down." Shepard pleaded with his lifemate, who seemed really stressed.  _Damn, she's getting all stressed out over a little misunderstanding._ Tali shook her head, "Damn it John, I can't just yell at people like that simply because they interrupt our..." Shepard put a finger to her lips, silencing her. "Tali...its okay. Bakara understands, she's meeting with Mitchell right now. You don't need to get so stressed out over this. What's done is fixed, can we just enjoy the little peace we get left before Mr. Hellion enters the house?" Tali smiled, kissing his finger, encouraging him to take it off. Once it was, she spoke, "Okay John. Besides, I'm really tired." With that, she just collapsed back into the bedsheets and lay beside him, her head tucked just under his neck, resting on his chest and her right arm wrapped tightly around him, as she was on his right. He smiled, caressing her arm as they entered a period of gentle solace.

He looked up at the ceiling, enjoying the silence. It wasn't deathly, no it was the exact opposite. It was total bliss, periods like these were rare for them, further so once they settled back on Rannoch and raised Rael...and the other children Tali wanted.  _I'll miss these moments. Ah..._ He looked at Tali, who immediately looked back into his eyes, her silver eyes twitching as she gave him a warm smile, which he quickly reciprocated. They simply locked eyes as their heads snuggled closer to each other, as if protectively. It was natural for lifemates to be like this; but for some reason he felt like this was special in its own right. Was it because he wasn't a quarian? He had always thought Tali deserved a proper lifemate, one she could have children with and live with eternally, but Tali didn't relent, she wanted children, but she was willing to sacrifice that chance to be with him. That heartened him so much, he felt...incredible knowing that fact.

"Damn you Tali, I don't want this moment to end. Why did you have to include children in our life!" Shepard said with mock dramatica, obviously to add humor to the moment. Tali giggled silently, "Ah...isn't that sweet? You're such a charmer John, but that's too bad. I want lots of children, besides, who says we can't stay up late at night to do this?" She gave him a wink, letting him know she was suggesting something. And Shepard knew exactly what. He gave a mischevious smile. "Oh Tali, what I do without you? And don't start that crap about how I deserve another woman again, I want you, I've only wanted you, and that will never change. Besides, they could gather every asari or human that's ever lived and they would still never match your beauty or personality. You're just too...beautiful to be outmatched."

Tali blushed, and hugged him tighter, "And I have the most famous man in the galaxy all to myself. Let those asari be jealous. That the great savior of the galaxy chose a quarian, of all people!" She laughed.  _Those guys must be like 'how could a man above petty scum marry a beggar and thief? Ha, let those racists continue their preaching, they'll be in the minority pretty soon._ Shepard widened his eyes in fake shock, "Is THAT what I am to you huh? Well...I'm shocked Tali. Truly." Tali rolled her eyes and slapped his chest, "Don't be so sad, I was only joking. You know I love you not for the fact your a hero, I love you because your you." Shepard smiled and pushed her hair back, which had begun falling into her face. "I know Tali, I was joking too. I love you, you know how many times I've had to say that?" Tali pretended to ponder with a smile and then shook her head, Shepad turned back to the ceiling, "Not enough." Tali laughed and they just cuddled for a couple minutes longer.

Tali burped, and Shepard looked at her immediately. Tali looked at him and closed her eyes, opening them two seconds later, but looking at their little clock. "I'm incredibly hungry John. Like REALLY hungry." Shepard nodded, "I've noticed. Don't blame you, I feel hungry myself." They both lay there, incredibly hungry before Tali flipped the covers out, and walked out, fully naked. Shepard was worried, what if Rael walked in right now? Not a great way to start off childhood, seeing your mother naked. "Tali! Put something on! What if Rael..." He immediately stopped as he saw her grab one of her many sleeping gowns, and putting it on, not even bothering to tie it up, leaving it open slightly, only her cleavage visible. She walked into her little office and later came out with what looked like food.

It was all on a plate, but he didn't really get a good look at it. She put the plate on her dresser before stripping naked again and then she slipped back under the sheets next to him, holding the plate on top of him. There was cheese along with crackers, pure earth crackers and a single sandwich with mayoneise and chicken, followed by Tali's meal, which looked like the meal he bought her back on Illium, the turian cuisine he remembered being called  _ta'cartm te._ It looked exactly like the one he bought her. She handed him the cheese and crackers, along with his sandwich, and she dug into her  _ta'cartm te._ He silently munched on his sandwich, his hunger almost immediately drowned. Tali had barely finished hers by the time his sandwich was gone and he was three quarters of the way through his crackers. Tali giggled, "Slow down, you human animal." Shepard laughed through mouthfulls. When he was finished, he patted Tali on the shoulder, "Dear, you are amazing. How did you know I liked all this?" Tali smiled, "That's...a secret even I won't tell you...not yet anyway."

Shepard continued to smile as he watched Tali finish her last mouthful of ta'cartm te. She put the plate on her dresser and turned back to him, digging her face into his neck, kissing it. She then pulled back, "No, shouldn't do that. Not with Rael nearby." Shepard nodded in disappointed, he wanted so much to just kiss her and to feel her skin against his once again, it was joyous, but with Rael nearby, it would not only be extremely awkward for him to walk in at the wrong moment, but it would be just wrong. Tali moved closer to him once again, arm wrapped tightly around him. It wasn't long before a knock was heard. Shepard and Tali snapped looks at each other and then back at the door. They both had seperate thoughts running simultaneously.

_Oh crap, now the fun begins._

_Keelah, why now._

He sighed before giving in, "Come in." He heard the decontamination process begin, and within 10 seconds, the door opened. Tali made sure the blankets covered her breasts as Mitchell walked, Rael behind him, his face lighting up at the sight of his mum and dad. "Hey Shepard, I brought...whoa." Mitchell looked directly at Tali, dumbfounded, "Shit Shepard, WAY out of your league. She is H.O.T. Damn sexy angel right there." Shepard smiled but lost it immediately as he saw Rael lunge forward and jump on the bed, right ontop of Tali. "OUCH!" Unfortuneately, Rael landed right on Tali's chest, winding her. She watched as Rael rolled inbetween the two of them. Shepard looked at Tali, not wanting to break her embrace. But it was not like they had a choice, the kid ruled the bed now. Sighing in irritated defeat, Shepard broke the embrace, and both he and Tali moved towards the edges of the bed respectively, giving Rael room to move inbetween them, "That's daddy's friend!" Rael pointed at Mitchell who was chuckling to himself. Shepard nodded, "Yes Rael, that's daddy's friend." He was weary, he didn't want to get up before, now he wanted nothing more than to just escape.  _I...hate...children._ Mitchell saluted giving Tali a wink before leaving, door sliding shut behind him.

Everything was silent as Shepard and Tali both stared at the ceiling, while Rael looked between the both of them before deciding it was a great idea to rip the covers off the bed. Tali's shot open and it wasn't long before the whole room echoed with khelish profanities. She rolled off the bed faster than what was thought possible and used the nearby dressing gown as her blanket. Meanwhile, the plate collapsed onto her face, covering it in crumbs and bits of left over chicken and mayoneise. The plate fell over, and her face was covered in sticky crumbs. She was not happy, she looked petrified. Rael was laughing his head off, and Shepard just wanted to escape, quickly. Luckily he hadn't been fully naked like Tali was; he had skivvies on at least, covering his groin, which would have been worse for Rael to see. Climbing out of bed, he collected his leather jacket from the ground along with his pants. He walked over and recovered Tali's suit, preparing to give it to her, but she held up her hands, winking at him, whispering, "I want to stay in here and prepare a little surprise for you." Shepard smiled as he kissed her on the cheek and walked up into the shower cubicle to have a quick shower and get changed, ready to continue the hunt for Bellerophon.

It wasn't long before he had finished his shower, and without a second glance, snuck out of the cabin and entered the elevator, quickly hitting Deck 2. He felt selfish for abandoning Tali to that mobile wrecking ball, but he needed out. Children just didn't bode well around him. He had once been a hellion to Hannah, now he was dealing with a hellion himself. He sighed but almost choked on his own saliva when he heard, "Where you going Daddy?" Shepard looked to his side and saw Rael, looking up at him with those curious, sparkling eyes.  _How in the devil did he get here? How...but...damn, this kid was born to be a Infiltrator, I swear. Give him a tactical cloak and were doomed._ He sighed as he opened his hand, and took Rael's in his.  _Great. Just wonderful. Please Rael, don't do anything stupid._ Almost forgetting they were still on Rannoch, Shepard keyed his comm, but got a response from Joker almost instantly, "I know what you want to say Shepard, and its done. Were heading to the Citadel." Shepard frowned as the doors opened and he walked out, "Citadel, why are we headed there?"

Joker rolled his eyes as Shepard headed for the Simulation Room, Rael in tow. "Your omnitool was on silent again wasn't it? Seriously, get Tali to stop doing that!" Shepard laughed, "Who said Tali did it?" Joker frowned and chuckled, "Very funny Shepard, anyway, this is serious. One of the Councilors got attacked, husband included. Their severely injured and the Councilor is in a coma." Shepard stopped in his tracks. "Which one? Let me guess, Sparatus? He kinda brought it on himself, no, husband. Tevos then?" Joker shook his head, "No Shepard. Its...Shala and Garu. Shala's in a coma Shepard." Shepard's smile instantly dropped, and Rael looked up, "What happened to Grandma Shala daddy? What's a coma? Is that a toy?" Shepard looked at Rael with sadness.  _Damn it, why did Tali have to give birth to Rael now. Why bring him into the middle of a new conflict where he could get hurt and right now, learn that one of his grandmothers and grandfathers are in hospital? How will...fuck, he's so young..._ Shala. Of all the Councilors, they chose to try and kill Shala...and Garu too.  _Its obvious. This is a personal attack. They know I'm technically part of their family now, so they attacked accordingly to strike fear into my heart. Fucking Cerberus, bet anything it was Hellion who instigated it. Son of a bitch._ He walked into the simulation and stopped as he saw Miranda, fighting herself. He looked at Rael, letting go of his hand, "I need to go do some work Rael, but I'll be right back, okay? Why don't you play with Aunty Miranda?" Rael nodded sadly and ran off to join Miranda, who beamed down at the child, pausing the simulation to greet him. Shepard smiled and walked out, heading for the bridge.

It wasn't long before he got there either, and he was pissed. "Get us there fast Joker, best speed. Don't inform Tali, I don't want..." He was immediately interrupted before he could continue.

"Tell me what John?" He turned to see Tali standing right in front of him; it was a very unexpected sight for two reasons; he hadn't seen her coming and two, she was...she was...wow. Standing before him was Tali...wearing nothing but short length jeans, which made her look soooooooooooooo much more sexy than she already was, and she was wearing what looked like a N7 T-Shirt, but not a proper military one, just a fanmade one for women, and what looked like a bra underneath, which was a first for Tali, since she originally had no need for one. Her long, beautiful hair flowed over her shoulders, cutting off just below the shoulder blade. Her sparkling silver eyes pierced his, stopping him in his tracks, frozen in awe. Tali was beautiful, but the way she was standing right now made it all the more clear just how beautiful. "Tali...your...amazing. But...what are you doing outside your suit?"

Tali put her hands on her hips, swaying them from side to side trying to seduce him, which always worked and was working now, and smiled, "Thanks. I've adapted John. I don't know how, but I think that little blue vial worked wonders. I can finally walk around without that blasted suit John!" Shepard hugged her deeply.  _Finally, she was free of that goddamn prison. Just like the rest of us._ Then he remembered their current predicament, and his smile dropped.  _A blissful moment ruined by the fact that the only mother she had is...damn it._ He broke the embrace, "Tali, were going to the Citadel. You see...one of the Councilors got attacked. Their in a coma." Tali nodded, "Lets go and see what we can do. Most likely assassins, you know how they work." Shepard shook his head as a tear streamed past his cheek, making Tali confused. "You don't understand Tali, the Councilor...is Shala. Shala's the one in a coma." Tali was a wreck. He had to have expected this.  _Fucking Hellion. I really want to snap his neck now._ Tears streamed past her cheek, and she began to sob. Shepard moved in immediately, embracing her, holding her head in his shoulder as she cried. "Why...Why her. She did nothing...to...to...to provoke them. Why not me..." Shepard winced when she said that, but he understood her position. The only mother she really had was in a coma, attacked by a faceless coward.

Her crying eventually slowed to nothing, and she broke the embrace, nodding to make sure Shepard knew she was okay. "Come on. Lets get to the Citadel, I need to be there for her." Shepard nodded in agreement and took Tali's hand, moving towards the Armory to get there weapons; just in case the assassins had a trap planned, and injuring Shala was part of that trap. Joker looked at them as they went and shook his head in empathy as he turned back, looking at Voz and EDI. Voz seemed to understand how Tali felt; he was quarian afterall, and EDI seemed to follow Tali's sadness, even though she didn't know Councilor Raan as well as Shepard did, or further more, Tali. He looked back at his screen, not wanting to divert anymore attention to Tali.

_Great, happy moment ruined, check. Check on Shala and Garu, in progress, destroy Cerberus inside and out, in progress._

...

"Look ma'am, noone is allowed to see the Councilor at the moment, if you could just wait at..." Tali was currently pleading with one of the Doctors in the hospital, begging to see her late and only mother. Shepard had crossed his arms and waited for the doctor to give in, but when it was evident she wasn't, he rolled his eyes and stepped forward, next to Tali. "Rear Admiral John Shepard, Quarian Republican Navy, I DEMAND that you let my lifemate through immediately!" The doctor seemed shocked by the outburst, but she wasn't relenting.

"She needs rest sir, I can't..." Shepard smiled his 'oh really' smile and rolled his eyes, "She's...in...a...fucking...coma. She isn't going to wake up even if we want her too, not for a while anyway. Let us see her..." he then added with a gentler tone, "please." The doctor shook her head, "I'm sorry, but I'm..." Shepard resorted to last ditch tactics. "This woman, my lifemate, my wife you say, is shocked out of her mind. Her mother died to a virus years ago, and her father was killed by geth. Councilor Raan is the last bit of biological family she has left. How do the fuck do you think you would feel? Wouldn't you want to be there for her? Have some compassion, and let her through. If not me, at least her."

The doctor seemed to ponder his words before sighing and giving in, "Very well, you may both go in. But the turian will have to stay, only two at a time." Shepard nodded at Garrus, who already got the point and was already walking outside. Turning to Tali, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and comforted her so she didn't start crying again. Tears still flowed down her cheek every once and a while, but she wasn't technically crying. He didn't know what to call it actually. They approached the haptic interface and with one swipe, Shepard opened it, the green hologram disappearing with the door's sliding sequence. Once open they saw Shala, lying on a bed in the room, hooked up to life support machines, asleep in her long coma. Tali began to sob as she ran up to the bed and took Shala's hand, "Auntie Raan! No no no no." Shepard walked up next to her, rubbing her back gently so as to let her both have her moment peacefully sobbing, and so he could be there for her and Shala.

"Who could have done this to you. Why you. No, this is my fault. This is all my fault..." Shepard began whispering carefully in her ear, "It's not your fault. Cerberus attacked Shala to get to us, but they failed. Shala's a tough woman, she'll pull through, you'll see." From what Shepard could see, it would take a miracle for Shala to pull through. Multiple sections of her suit had to be torn off and covered in bandages because the whole area was covered in purple colored bruises were wounds created by shrapnel once resided and her mask had cracked and been replaced with a new one. Plus, if rumors held true, the best doctors on the Citadel were treating her, which not only means she's incredibly important, but her life must be so close to expiration, that these doctors are needed to save her.

"We are sorry for your loss, Tali'Shepard." They almost jumped at the familiar voice of Councilor Bravo standing in the corner nearby. Tali looked up, alas angrily. "She's not dead! She's still alive and she will continue to fight!" Shepard for some reason, smiled. Maybe it was due to Tali's confidence in Shala, yes, that had to be it. Bravo moved on immediately, "Tali'Shepard, you will need a clean room and medical facility, you are outside of your suit. This can prove fatal to your health." Tali looked at herself before looking back at Bravo, "Lets just say I'm...cured Bravo. And so will everyone else in my race when where done." Bravo nodded, giving a mechanical whir of awknowledgement.

Tali looked back at Shala, still holding the Councilor's hand tightly. Shepard continued to comfort her and give her solace at the same time. It was only then that Bravo's mechanical whirring stopped, possibly assessing new information. This got Shepard's attention. Bravo looked back up, "Tali'Shepard, Shepard-Admiral, you might want to move aside, RIGHT now." Shepard gave him a confused look but trusted Bravo's word and gently encouraged Tali to let go of Shala's hand and moved to the side with her. At that exact moment, the door slid open and none other than Garu, his suit covered in bloodied bandages rushed over to Shala's limp form. "WHO DID THIS TO MY LIFEMATE!" Garu was in a state of vehemence and pure rage that Shepard had never seen him in before, and Tali was downright terrified. To think this is how she was when people hurt John.  _Keelah, we really need to control our primal instincts._ Garu was growling at them as he bent on his knees before Shala and stroked her arm tenderly, like a mother baboon grooming their child. It was so affectionate, that Tali would have thought it adorable if not for Shala's current predicament. And within that instant, Garu started crying, heavily. Tali rushed over and put her arm around Garu, being there for him.

"When you find the bastard who hurt my lifemate, bring them alive so I may kill him...her...myself. They will...pay...for hurt...ing her" Garu managed to choke out as he spoke. Shepard nodded.  _Yes I will, Hellion. Oh, you think you were clever do you? Well you were wrong. I'm coming for you Hellion, I'm coming for you, TIM, Hawk and the rest of fucking Cerberus, and I'm going to kill all of you motherfuckers!_

 **Saera:** Term used when speaking to ones lifemate. Literal translation: My souls soul. Other meanings include, but are not limited to: Keeper of my soul and My souls protector. Most commonly used word throughout the fleet by a quarian when speaking privately to their lifemate. Though unconfirmed by any quarian, there are implications that this word holds extreme intimacy as well as absolute trust. No single human word or phrase encompassed all that this one short word implies as it appears to contain both dominance and submissive traits.

Hellion should probably be shitting himself right now, but nooooo, he's a smartass SOB. Still, don't mess with the Shepard's. Will the fight against Cerberus be harder with Rael running amok? What if Rael is in danger just by being there?

On a easier note, I'm starting a new story that will follow Mass Effect 3's events, but will depict what should have happened when Bioware developed it. I will detail mission layouts, side missions, what rewards, inventory, what the endings SHOULD have been, what the final mission should have been like and so on and so on. It will start with the Prologue, all the way to the end sequences of the game. And no, I will not only cover the Tali romance :) for you, :( for me (Tali beats all romance options full stop, except Garrus, but I ain't gay XD)

"Lots of ways to help people. Sometimes heal patients; sometimes execute dangerous people. Either way helps."

\- Mordin Solus


	35. A Security Matter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tali tries to distract herself from Raan's situation: she finds that, and more.

**TO SURVIVE II:**

**AFTERMATH**

_**A Security Matter** _

What a terrible day it had been. He thought Rael had been the worst of his nightmares, but now Shala and Garu had been almost killed by a Cerberus assassin and he was going to find the assholes who did it and make them pay with blood.  _Their_ blood. He didn't want to admit it in front of Tali, but she probably got the hint anyway, but he had no idea how he would track down this assassin. He would just have to find someway, even if its tiny bits of evidence, to hunt down the attempted murderer, and bring him or her to justice. For all he knew, Tali or Rael or even himself, could be in danger too. What terminal could be waiting to blow up in his face? Or their faces? He wouldn't let that happen. If it did, all hell would break loose, and he would be the cause of it.

"Shepard, we have a slight problem." Shepard was standing at the Luna Cafe, alone, on the Presidium, admiring the once beautiful view being rebuilt. Tali was off shopping with Kasumi, who were essentially BFF's, to get her mind off current events. Kasumi stated that it was strictly 'girl to girl talk. Girly stuff. No men allowed.' He knew when to take a hint. Garrus' interruption of the quiet was frustrating, as he had felt himself drifting into eternal solace, but he didn't mind it. "Yes Garrus?" Garrus seemed to hesitate for a few moments before answering, "Uh...let's just say Chief...we can't find him. EDI's done a sweep of the ship, he's gone." Shepard rolled his eyes. He had been expecting this. The last time he talked to Chief, he had mentioned joining the Alliance military, as he could not go back home. The supersoldier decided he'd be of use more there.

"Let him go Garrus. He wanted out, he got out. Just make sure to inform the crew, as much as I'm sure they don't care, it'll break Grunt's heart to not know where he is." Garrus chuckled at the statement, "In retrospect, it would have Shepard. Now he'll probably shake it off because Grunt's a big krogan now! All adult!" Shepard smiled before disconnecting. He felt the pistol on his hip, which he always brought incase of ridiculous kill-capture scenarios. Who knows, maybe C-Sec would ask him for help... _John you idiot. Why didn't you think of that before! The scene of the crime, of course!_

He switched radios with Lana. "Lana, this is Shepard." He could Lana yelling at someone with a commanding voice, which she did surprisingly well and if Shepard had been under her command, he would have feared it. She replied in a softer tone, "Yes Shepard? What can the new Commander of C-Sec do for you?" Shepard rolled his eyes, "Don't let that position get to your head, your only a Commander, not Executor." Lana laughed, "All women are the same Shepard, no matter the race. We girls are extremely tenacious, I thought you knew that by now? Hasn't Tali demonstrated it a few times?" Shepard smiled, "Fancy way of calling women stubborn Lana." Lana growled, but only lightly, she was obviously joking. "Men. Your all bosh'tets." Shepard laughed, "Tali said the same thing. Maybe all women have a secret consensus I'm not aware of!"

They laughed for a minute before Shepard got back on task, "Anyway, back to current events. I would like access to the crime scene when Shala was almost murdered. I need to do a little investigation of my own." Lana seemed to be in pensive thought, "I don't know, Shepard. Your the more 'shoot first, ask questions later' kind of guy, not the investigative detective." Shepard nodded in agreement, "Exactly why I'm bringing a ex-C-Sec officer with me. He was a investigator." Garrus moaned, which was surprising to Shepard and Lana, not because of the action, but because they could hear it. "Do I have to?" Shepard was annoyed, but for two reasons; he was eavesdropping and two, he refused to help. "Yes, Garrus. One, don't eavesdrop again and two, stop bitching. Tali is like your sister, you should treat her as such by helping find who almost killed her surrogate mother."

Garrus nodded, "Its not that. Its just my C-Sec investigative days involved more of pulling a trigger than being a actual detective. And even then there was still enough red tape to sink a cruiser. I'm not a proper detective, but I'll help, nonetheless." Shepard nodded, switching back to Lana. "Where did the crime take place?" Lana took a second to answer, "Area just below the Council Chambers, where the Council quarters and offices are. She was attacked in her own quarters and office." Shepard's face lit up in rage.  _Attacking them in their own home. Hellion's a fucking coward, and he shall pay for it._

"Very well, Garrus, meet me there." Garrus simply said acknowledged him before disconnecting, as did Lana. Shepard sighed. He considered telling Tali where he would be, but he decided it was unnessacary, and that he didn't want to ruin any fun she was possibly having by bringing back memories of Shala's current state. Shrugging, he turned for the cab near by, readying his chit. As he opened the door, he could see the glimmer of armor reflecting of the shuttle's smooth exterior. Smiling, he talked without turning around, "Chief..." He heard the impact of heavy metal boots behind him. Hearing his suspicions confirmed, he turned around to see Chief looking directly down on him.

"Shepard." Chief replied in kind. Shepard crossed his arms and shook his head. Chief rolled his eyes, "I don't belong here, in this universe, you know that. I had to leave." Shepard nodded, "We could use you Chief. Besides, I know you want to join the Alliance and make a difference in this new universe you've joined, but what better way is there to do that by joining the crew of the Normandy?" Chief shook his head in disagreement, "I just don't belong. I feel...alienated. I need to be somewhere different, away from you guys. I'm sorry, Shepard."

Shepard nodded in disappointment. He didn't want Chief to leave, he was a fine soldier, a troubled one, but a great man nonetheless. He hadn't known the man long enough to become close, but he had befriended the faceless man. He would miss him, surprisingly. But he knew when to let go. "Very well, Chief. I'm not going to force you to stay. That's not my decision." Chief nodded, but then chuckled, "You wouldn't be able to stop me even if you wanted to, Shepard. I'm heavier and upgraded." Shepard smiled, "Very true. Just...stay safe. I'd hate to have to come to your rescue." Chief nodded and with that, he gave a final salute before jumping off the edge. Shepard ran up to it but looking down, found no trace of the gigantic foot soldier. He just laughed halfheartedly before walking back to his shuttle, and keying the lock to open the hatch.

Once opened, he sat down in the driver's seat before keying the hatch to close again. Once closed, he started up the drive, the same orange, holographic panel materializing in front of him. He slowly rose the shuttle up before turning and speeding down the Citadel's once thriving skyways. They were all but empty now; the only sign of activity was a few trucks or worker cabs. It felt eerily empty, like all the life was sucked out of the skyway and thrown into the pitch black abyss of space itself. The feeling was enough to give him goosebumps, his skin feeling like he was incased in cool ice. He ignored the feeling and continued to fly towards the Citadel Tower, which was no longer the great majestic work of art it once was, no, now it was nothing but a testament to its once beautiful outline. It was now left a shattered remain, half of the tower blown off by the Crucible firing or just the intense combat around it. He didn't know what, and he didn't care. It was getting repaired, that's all that mattered.

It took him no less than 14 minutes to reach the atrium of the Tower, in which he made sure his shuttle was locked and secured before he entered the tower, making sure to take in the fresh air filtered by the ventalation systems before entering. The elevator wasn't too long, but it felt like a lifetime before he finally reached the Council's Quarters. As the door slipped open and he stepped out, it wasn't long before he recognized Shala's quarters; it stood out like a sore thumb.

A large room at the end had an entire 5 meters worth of wall completely gone, leaving the explosion effected area a complete mess. The area around the whole was blackened by the once dominant fire and the inside was a bigger mess. As Shepard ran down the hallway to get a better look inside, he recognized what looked like Shala's desk half way down the hallway, shattered in splinters. As he went to step inside, he recognized what was blocking him from doing so. Holographic Crime Scene Tape. One of the officers, a turian, held up her hand to stall him from going inside. "Noone's allowed in here unless your C-Sec. You don't even have permission to be in here."

"Listen, Shala is my aunty, of sorts, and I just want to find out what happened to her." The officer rolled her eyes, "Yeah, nice try. Your human, besides, I'm not letting anyone, even you, inside until my superiors say otherwise." He was about to walk away in defeat when he heard a familiar voice in the turian female's mike, "Let him in. I gave him permission." The turian laughed, "You're not my superior Lana..." Lana's voice into one of command, "I guess you didn't get the memo. Allow me to reintroduce myself. Commander Lana'Reegar vas Citadel, and I think you need to rethink about what you just said to me. You want confirmation, you can call Bailey yourself. Now let him through or you can find another job."

The turian's eyes widened, "Oh yes...sorry Commander Reegar ma'am, yes, right away." The turian disconnected comms, "Go through now before I change my mind." Shepard smiled as he walked in, "I'm Rear Admiral John Shepard by the way. And Lana's part of my crew, better watch what you say." The turian let her jaw drop and Shepard had to stiffle a laugh. He continued into the devastated quarters, instantly spotting the desk, or what was left of it anyone. He was no detective, but it was quite obvious by the derangement of the devastation around the room made it evident the bomb into the desk.  _This bomb was meant to tear them both to shreds. Yet Shala manages to survive in just a coma and Garu is injured, severely. Either it was a poor planting, or Shala is a really tough woman...and Garu's just Garu._

He kneeled down before the desk and picked up a bomb fragment. He didn't recognize the design, the color was greyish with a tinge of green.  _Definitely Cerberus designed. Bomb design is odd however._ He dropped it to the floor, sighing as he looked at the rest of the room. He spotted nothing that could actually assist in his current endeavour. He cursed under his breath, standing up.  _Very effective killing. Well, hopefully Garrus or Lana find something of worth._ He crossed his arms as he sees someone enter out of the corner of his eye. He turns to see Lana, omnitool out, followed by Garrus walk into the room, spot him and walk towards him.

Garrus looked down at the rubble of the desk, "Damn. Talk about one hell of a package." Lana nodded, turning from her omnitool, "According to current data collected and Garu's account of the event, the desk  _was_  the bomb, so to speak. The blast was right next to them, making it puzzling on how those two would have survived." Shepard and Garrus both nodded in agreement and continued scanning the room with their eyes. Lana continued scanning with her omnitool. "Cerberus Designed Bomb. Low Yield, meant for terrorist attacks. Harper Class." She deactivated her omnitool and looked at them both. "Its Cerberus all right."

"But, how did you know that? You weren't even typing it into your omnitool!" Shepard asked. Lana talked, whilst solemnly, "Flotilla Shepard. Remember when Cerberus attacked the Fleet and boarded the Idenna? Well this is exactly the type of bomb they used to infiltrate that ship." Shepard nodded, "So a charge meant to blow open airlocks. Why use that on Shala and Garu?" Lana seemed to simply shrug, "Possibly due to the force it takes to blow open a airlock, it made sense to use it on them. The force of the explosion would rip them to shreds, except..."

"It didn't." Garrus finished for her. Lana nodded in agreement, "I'd better take this results back to the C-Sec Crime Investigation Office, they'll want to see this. You two can stay if you so wish, I'll give you full access to the entire area." Shepard and Garrus returned Lana's salute as she then turned around and limped out. Garrus shook his head at Lana's limping, "She'll never recover from that injury will she?" Shepard turned to him, his face empty of bliss, "She's lucky to be alive. Chakwas did what she could, but her leg will never be the same again. I hope the best for Lana. Who knows, maybe when medical technology advances thanks to the Reaper ruins, we can actually find a way to fix her leg."

"I bet Kal will be jumping up and down at that prospect. I'm okay with that, but I think we might have to restrain Lana. Leg's damaged already, don't want her ruining it again." They both grinned like idiots before deciding to call it quits and headed back for the elevator.  _I wonder what Tali's up to right now._

...

"Not even this? Okay...how about this?" Kasumi seemed to repeat this cycle for several minutes. Tali just went along at her own steady pace, but she didn't want Kasumi to think she was bored and that her effort was all for nothing. She knew this was a scheme to keep her mind off Shala, and she was appreciative of the support, she was so lucky to have such caring friends, like Kasumi and Garrus. Noone cared for her more than John himself of course, but they cared nonetheless. Shopping had never been a big favorite of Tali's, but she had become accustomed to the idea especially when she heard that a huge trait for human women was shopping.

 _If Shepard starts to think that I'm going to be his human stereotypical housewife, he's got another thing coming._ Tali was only joking with that sentiment, as she did not expect John to treat her like a servant anyway. She had a million things running through her mind at once that it made being mentally stable almost physically impossible to hide. Shala almost dying, Garu's pained cries, Shepard's mental state, Rael, her state, the new Normandy, the Quarian Republic, Bellerophon, TIM's return and so much more, it was giving her such a headache.  _If only I could think like Legion._ She looked down at Kasumi's latest attempt and was about to refute it when she looked closer at it. She was surprised out of her mind; a single holographic picture frame. She knew exactly what she wanted to use it for.

"Kasumi its...oh Kasumi. Thank you." With the picture frame still between them, Tali gave Kasumi a tight hug, which Kasumi reciprocated. "Your...welcome...Tali...but...your killing...me." Tali realized what she was doing and let go, motioning to apologize immediately for her rash actions. Kasumi held up her hand and stopped her, "Don't apologize, I was joking about the whole dying thing. Still, you hug pretty tight. And you don't need to repay me for what's freely given. Besides, there's a whole lot of things I could have stolen for you...like this." Reaching into her pocket, Kasumi pulled out a stone tablet and handed it to Tali.

Tali read the inscriptions and her eyes widened, "This is...This is Ancient Khelish! Back from the days when we quarians were just living in trees! Where did you get this?" Kasumi giggled, "Remember Donnovan Hock? Stole it from his vault, a very nice touch. He also had Lady Liberty's head." Tali cocked her head which told Kasumi she was confused. Kasumi waved her hand, "Nevermind. Come on, lets see what dextro-amino foods they have at the supermarket." Tali nodded, following Kasumi's lead. To be honest, she would rather go back to her cabin, fall into bed and sleep. She was just soooo tired. But Kasumi had gone to all this trouble to cheer her up, the least she could do was hang around with her for a few more hours.

 _Hopefully I'm still awake by then._ Tali followed Kasumi through the crowds of the Zakera Ward, heading for the Zakera Cafe.  _Okay, thats not a supermarket. Still, I'll follow her lead._ It wasn't long before they were right outside the busy workplace and they entered, looking at the various items on sale. The place was run by a turian now, so alot more dextro-amino stock had come in. Kasumi motioned for Tali to move up and have a look while she waited at the counter. Tali smiled as he approached the dextro food. Their wasn't only food, but drinks. Bottles of Ancestral Sunset, quarian brandy, quarian wine, and food like  _ta'cartme te._ They even had an old favourite of hers from the fleet;  _ylat'kutuvm le._ It was similiar to  _ta'cartme te_ but had a different texture and it had to be the single best piece of food she had ever eaten. She had only eaten it the one night when her father had brought it back from a hunt and he, herself and...mother sat down together. It had been the last family dinner before...before...

Tali wiped away the tears, sniffing.  _Before she died. I wish you were here Meru. What would you think of John?_ Meru had been so kind, she was strong and strict at times, but kind inside, not the cruel shell her father was. Meru was always there for her as was Rael once upon a time, but then she had been taken away by a simple ship-wide infection. Tali still relived her mother's death quite a few times, even when in John's embrace.  _Tali sobbed long and hard, she didn't stop, their was no stopping. Every emotion she had, had bottled up now flowed out in a steady stream of tears as her hand cradled her mother's dying hand. Meru stroked her cheek, wiping away a few tears. Meru smiled. "Mum...I...please mum...fight it." Tali pleaded, but she knew it was no use. Meru fought her hardest, but her immune system just wasn't strong enough. Rael moved in, "Please Saera, don't leave me. You can fight this!" Rael knew he was pleading to the Ancestors to have mercy on this gentle soul, his lifemate, but they were not heading his requests. Meru began another coughing fit, ending a minute later._

_"Look after Tali, Rael. I'm...done for. I love you, Rael. Just take good care of our little baby engineer." Meru turned to Tali, her eyes gleaming with the same confidence and kindness they always did, death now sweeping in to consume them, to drain them of that happiness. "I love you, Tali. Remember...I'm always going to be...with you...in there." Meru touched the area where Tali's heart was and she looked down at the hand before looking back up. "  
Mum..." Then all was silent. Meru's eyes gave a final wisp of life, before sliding shut. Her hand went limp, Tali could feel it, almost as if deflating. Tali just collapsed into her father's arms, and they both weeped intently, Rael more furiously-_

"Excuse me, ma'am. Are you okay?" Tali left her recollection and turned to the quarian male who stood next to her, pistol on his hip and the C-Sec insignia emblazoned on his chest. Tali noticed she had been crying very loudly, as she had attracted some looks from other people. She sniffed, and wiped the tears away, half embarrased of crying in a cafe. Kasumi was next to her, rubbing her back. Tali turned to the officer, "I'm fine officer, thank you." The quarian bowed traditionally, which Tali followed and went to leave when he saw Tali's hand. He stopped and looked up at her, "Are you crazy! You'll get yourself killed!" Tali was confused but then realized when he saw her look at her hand.  _We quarians are so similiar to humans, that we almost pass as one. Until you see how many fingers and toes that have on their hands and feet._ "I took a special vial that has improved my immune system 98%. Its okay."

The quarian nodded hesitantly, before asking, "A cure? Do you really think..." Tali smiled before holding up her hand, "Its only in prototype stages so far, not ready for full distribution. But it will be soon." The quarian nodded and walked off, rejoining his geth colleague. Tali turned to Kasumi, who was shaking her arm. When Tali looked into Kasumi's eyes, all she could see was sincere worry. Tali smiled to reassure her, "I'm fine Kasumi. Really." Kasumi seemed to nod hesitantly before lifting her arm off and growing a steady smile. Kasumi then laughed, "I find it funny how it takes him seeing your hands to realise your one of him. I thought the lines all over your body gave it away." Tali just shrugged.

Tali moved and grabbed some of the dextro items, mostly drinks, and then motioned for Kasumi to follow her to the counter. It wasn't long before they stood behind the desk, and presented the items to the shop manager. Once the manager scanned them, he turned to look directly at her. "So your a quarian. Plan on stealing anything today?" Tali rolled her eyes.  _Even after saving this bosh'tets sorry butt he is still racist._ "I'm not looking for any trouble, kind sir. I just want to purchase these items." The human nodded hesitantly, "Thats IF you've got the credits. Let me see them." Tali nodded, pulling out the 600 credit chit that John had given her and gave it to the man. He immediately snatched it away and shoved it in the air, "Thief! This quarian just tried to steal my credit chit!"

Tali could hear the telltale signs of Kasumi extending her wrist blades, but kept her hand on Kasumi's wrist. She heard two C-Sec officers run in, a turian and a asari.  _No quarian or geth. Better hope their not racist._ "Where's the culprit?" The shopkeeper pointed straight at Tali, and a turian grabbed her by the scruff of the neck and extended handcuffs. He began wrapping them around Tali's wrists, but Kasumi extended her blade so far that it almost touched the turian's neck. "Let her go...now." Tali shook her head, "Kasumi, its okay. Go get Shepard, tell him what happened. Better yet, Lana will get me out once she sees I did nothing wrong." Tali put emphasis on her last words, as if trying to phase her captors. They didn't.

With the cuffs secured, the turian pushed her out of the store, heading towards the nearest interrogation room. Kasumi looked at her worriedly, but did not react. She simply watched as Tali got dragged away to imprisonment.  _Don't worry Tali, Lana will get you out. Even if she's not in charge yet, you can count on John. I did nothing wrong, afterall._

Kasumi's cheeks flared in fury as Tali was dragged behind a corner and she stormed back into the store, towards the man, who was serving another customer. She pushed past the customer quite roughly, much to that customer's frustration, and she punched the shopkeeper in the face, "Racist dick." Kasumi grabbed the bottles, took back Tali's credit chit, and then took out a empty credit chit and thrust it into the man's mouth, forcing him to close it. "Enjoy shopkeeping, cause the REAL thief just stole the money back." And with that, Tali walked off. She saw two C-Sec officers looking at her, but they did nothing. The quarian seemed to just wink at her as she went past, the geth just whirred its approval. As she walked away, she swore she heard the officer say, "Should have done that myself." She stopped,  _Then why didn't they intervene when that man framed Tali? Were they not looking? Could they not hear?_ Kasumi shrugged it off and headed for the Normandy. Someone was going to be very pissed off.

...

The door next to her slid open, and Tali looked to her left to see a C-Sec officer walk in. "So, quarian..." The officer was an asari, wearing bright blue uniform to match her skin and she looked equiped with a Kassa Locust SMG, a datapad lay in her hands, her eyes scanning its contents. She didn't even look Tali in the eyes, everytime she did, they reeled back in disgust. Tali felt her cheeks burn up, "My name is Tali..." The asari immediately ran up to her and faced her down, "I don't care you filthy parasite. Thieves are nameless, and you are a disgusting thief." Tali wanted to retort but didn't, this asari had a firm opinion and wasn't breaking. Let her be racist, it made no difference what she thought.

The asari broke off, but not before spitting on Tali's face. Tali closed her eyes and mouth, making sure the saliva didn't get anywheren near them, as it could cause lethal infection. Her immune system would improve, but consumption of non-dextro acids would kill her. Tali looked at the asari officer and put as much loathing and hate into her eyes as possible. It didn't have the desired effect, it just made her reel back in disgust. The asari began to pace back and forth, hands behind her back. Tali wasn't restrained, but she wasn't stupid. She was unarmed and the asari had both biotics and a predator sidearm. Attacking her would be suicide.  _Besides, trying to escape would make me look even more guilty. Time to work the law._ Tali just watched as the asari paced, contemplating her words. The asari spoke as she began her second pace, "So...buying stuff a from a cafe with stolen credits. You must be really stupid. First of all, your not in your suit, I'm surprised your not dead already. Secondly, stealing in a store full of people was a misguided idea to be honest."

Tali sighed, "First bit is none of your business, secondly, I didn't steal those credits!" The asari rolled her eyes, "Let me get two things straight, the credit chit you provided was Alliance-distributed. One, your clearly not Alliance and two, noone would trust a quarian with this many credits. What was it...? 27,000 credits? Thats alot of credits in your possession. Now I can run you in for vagrancy and theft." Tali's cheeks flared up.  _No, don't let this asari get the better of you. Your the better woman Tali, don't give in._ "I...did...not...steal...that...chit. My lifemate gave it to me." The asari raised a brow, "And what mate, was that? Human? Turian? Who the hell would be stupid enough to trust the likes of you?"

Tali smiled, "My lifemate would. Rear Admiral John Shepard vas Normandy. And you will call me by name, Tali'Shepard vas Normandy. I'm Chief Engineer and XO of the QRV Normandy SR-3." The asari chuckled, "I've made the greatest bust in C-Sec History! Not only do I have a quarian thief who is lost in her imaginary world of the greatest hero marrying her, but now a thief that has stolen alliance property for her people! The Normandy, a quarian vessel! I'll believe that when I'm braindead." Tali growled, "Its true! You can contact him yourself!" The asari activated her biotics and Tali felt herself lifted up and thrown into a nearby wall. "Don't make demands thief! I will have your ass in a jailcell! Now, where is the ship you've stolen?"

Tali remained silent, before opening her mouth. "Docking Bay D24. You can ask Shepard yourself. I'm not a thief! He'll prove it to you!" The asari simply smiled as she approached and crouched next to her, "You are incredibly pathetic. I should kill you right now. Actually, I might. These walls are soundproof, so noone will hear you scream." Tali simply began laughing, almost manicially. The asari lost her smile and looked at her in confusion, "I'm going to kill you quarian, there is no humor in that." Tali stopped laughing and looked the Asari dead in the eye, "My friend behind you says otherwise." The asari didn't get to retort as she felt a coldblade tip touch the nape of her neck. "Stand away from my friend." Kasumi deactivated her cloak right behind her.

The Asari did so, but not before Kasumi felt herself fly into a wall, the asari glowing with blue energy. "Both of you shall die!" With the asari concentrating on Kasumi, this gave Tali a chance to surprise the biotic. Tali leapt up, executing a footsweep. The asari toppled over, but not before unclipping her pistol and shooting her in the right shoulder. Tali flinched and grunted in pain, stopping for a second. It didn't matter; it was all that the asari needed to gain power over the helpless quarian. She lifted Tali up and threw her into the interrogation chair. Tali hit the side, her side burning in pain from the sheer impact and she toppled onto the ground. Kasumi tried to come to Tali's aid, but the asari picked up the Master Thief and wrapped her in a stasis field. Tali tried to get up but felt a batton beat her back down. "I shall kill you slowly you piece of garbage!" Tali felt the batton hit again, and again, and again. Each time she would show strength and try and get up, only to be beaten down again.

 _Kasumi is stuck and I'm being beaten to death. Come on John, please._ Tali attempted to grab the batton to stop the asari's assault, but she only managed to get her wrist badly damaged. She held her mouth shut to keep in her squeel of pain. She cradled her wrist as the assault continued to hit her. Bruises began to show on her body, and it wasn't long before the asari brought the batton to rear on her face.  _Keelah, its over. One hit from that batton to my face and I'm a goner._ The asari swiped down but the batton only got halfway before halting. Standing next to the asari was Shepard, in his modified Cerberus Ajax Armor, holding the batton tightly in his fists. He was glaring at the asari with pure hatred. The asari smiled slightly, "Oh, Rear Admiral Shepard. I was just treating this thief to some little retribution."

"How dare you assault my lifemate out of petty racism, you self-righteous bitch. Besides, didn't we all steal Prothean tech? Your the victim of your own racism. Now get away from my lifemate before you take her position on the floor. And release my friend from stasis. Now." The asari smiled, "Very well, Admiral. Just..." The asari grabbed her pistol and reared it at John's head. Tali was about to scream when she heard a gunshot, followed by the asari's exploding head, red blood coating Tali's face. The asari's body went dead, the pistol falling from her grip, the batton held still in John's grip. The asari's body fell ontop of Tali, but she easily shoved it off with little trouble. Seeing that it hadn't been John who fired the shot or Kasumi, who only just got freed from the biotic stasis field, they turned to the doorway. In the doorway stood the one person they least expected; Hannah Shepard. She stood pistol at her side, her face still in a position of sheer anger. "Noone...threatens...my...daughter." Tali was confused by the statement, but she guessed it sounded better than saying  _Noone threatens my daughter-in-law._ Shepard smiled at his mother before moving to help Tali up, using a fine cloth in one of his pockets to wipe the blood off her face.

"Are you...shit, that asari hurt you real bad." He was examining her brusies, which were close to pure purple in color and they stood out like bumps on her skin. It destroyed her beautiful outline, but it was better than having huge ones on her face. Tali smiled reassuringly, "Its nothing Dr. Chakwas can't fix up John. Come on, I'm sure we've got some catching up to do with Hannah. Am I right?" Shepard nodded and turned to Hannah, who moved aside as Lana rushed in. "Is everything...damn, you got her first. Better her than you I guess." Tali gave Lana a confused look. Kasumi just joined beside her, whispering, "Got your credit chit back. And bought that food for you." Tali smiled, taking back the chit, giving a simple, "Thanks Kasumi." Kasumi smiled before reentering her cloak and making a quick escape, "We girls stick together, no matter the species."

Shepard eyed Lana curiously, "Got her first? But that asari was a C-Sec officer." Lana shook her head, bringing up her omnitool. "Yeah, that was her disguise. You won't believe who it actually is." A picture of the actual asari appeared on screen. Shepard's jaw dropped, but Tali spoke first, "Rana Thanoptis? Why would she try to kill me? I was with you both times we let her go on Virmire and Korlus." Lana nodded, taking the omnitool image down and then spoke, "She disguised herself as C-Sec to get to you. The shopkeeper was a agent working with her, I had to say, the plan was well set out for a indoctrinated servant. She was working for Cerberus. TIM really wants you two dead." Tali nodded, "The news reports stated she was indoctrinated but she blew herself up when killing asari military officials. She actually survived?"

Lana nodded, "Survived and has been working for the Reapers since then. Bellerophon is...well, was controlling her. Hannah did her a favor by killing her. Other guy, not so lucky. He wasn't indoctrinated, so we took him into custody. According to the interrogation, he was working for Hellion himself. He's willing to give information on Hellion's current location as well, but he ain't listening to me." Shepard smiled, "Let me give him some motivation. Name?" Lana opened her omnitool, checking her current incarcerated list. "Andreas Decman, Cerberus Field Operative. Works for Illusive's Intelligence, but mostly under Hellion." Shepard nodded before beginning to walk out. "Where are you going John?" Tali called out after him.

"I'm going to talk with our friend. Time to find Hellion and end that bastard. Then we look for Bellerophon, and hopefully convince our Cerberus friend he's on the wrong side."

**Sorry for the short chapter, but this has been delayed so bad, I had to shorten it to get it out sooner. Chapter 35 will be longer.**

**I'm trying to get to the point in this story, but there are so many things I want to do with it that I keep making detours. Next chapter will be mostly about Shepard's hunt for Hellion. As it draws closer, the secret to how Bellerophon survived the Crucible firing will be revealed. As well as where Connor's loyalty really lies; Humanity, Xen or Cerberus. He's going to have to pick one, or maybe two if Xen can be reasoned with.**

**Like a guest keeps saying, "Shit keeps getting real." Never been so true.**

"Adrenaline's better than oxygen any day."

\- James Vega


	36. Earthbound Anomalies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shepard sets a trap. Little does he know, so has Hellion.

**TO SURVIVE II:**

**AFTERMATH**

_**Earthbound Anomalies** _

Andreas was a smart man. He wouldn't break, Hellion had taught him not too. He eyed the C-Sec officers around him, and he was not pleased. He was surrounded by aliens of every kind; turian, asari, quarian, geth, whats the difference? Their all alien. It doesn't make a difference what the name of their kind is. Not a single human being in the room. Was this done to deliberately torture him? To make him feel insecure? To feel alienated? Well it was working, but not in the way they hoped. It wasn't going to be broken by alien presence alone, no, it would take them integrating him into their culture for him to break.

He had only one countermeasure for when they broke him, and he hoped to god he wouldn't have to use it. He took one more look across the room. There was one turian, male, leaning in the corner, carefully inspecting his rifle, as if mocking him with the threat of lingering death. Another, a geth, just opposite him, staring motionlessly at him, as if daring him to make a escape attempt. His quarian female colleague seemed to be examining one of this cigarettes, evidently having no idea how to use it. Eventually she quit and dropped it to the ground, deciding to play tetris on her omnitool.  _Tetris for quarians. Heh._ Looking closer, he clearly saw the Quarian republican insignia on her right shoulder.  _Not C-Sec. Maybe, quarian spy? Quarian black ops agent? Or maybe...informant in C-Sec? Rana better have taken out Shepard and that filthy thief or Hellion won't bother saving our asses._ A single Drell stood behind him. He had heard a few of the officers exchange words with him, dropping the name 'Kolyat' but thats all he got out of it.

He maintained a blank expression on the glowing haptic interface of the door that lay only 4 meters from him. He wasn't strapped down, so he could easily run out. Only problem with that plan was that 7 armed C-Sec officers stood in the room, not to mention a geth and drell, both of which would cut him down in seconds, one with machine-like accuracy and the other because he was trained to be like that. Either way, escape would be impossible unless he had someway of defending himself. So he just sat there, his expression as blank as he could make it without the need of transforming into a husk.  _Can Bellerophon even do that right now? Could he do it telepathically?_ Andreas shook away that thought as he returned to blankly staring at the door.  _What if I'm indoctrinated? Could I even think for myself when indoctrinated?_ If Bellerophon was really in his head, he would have answered. He didn't, which meant he was free, for now. But that wouldn't last too long.

Andreas shook away these thoughts when he saw the haptic interface disappear and the door slide open. He saw a man in Cerberus designed Ajax Armor who looked like a heavily built war veteran followed by a close to naked woman with a ponytail. The man saw him and entered a parade rest, circling his chair slowly, while the woman just watched from the background, smiling. Andreas wanted to see the man who was so easily mocking him, but couldn't. The man was now right behind him. It was then that he spoke, "So your Andreas Decman, agent for Hellion of Cerberus, Correct?" Andreas didn't answer, but then he did, "I want my lawyer." The man sighed and leaned on the chair. "Your lawyer is dead, maggot. Dead for trying to kill me and my lifemate. Now, open your mouth and start talking or Jack over here will be more than welcome to show you how to open it...the hard way." Everything dawned on him in a instant.  _That crazy woman is Jack. This guy is Shepard. Which means Tali and him survived and Rana is dead. No matter, I probably won't return alive to Hellion anyway._ "I don't know what your talking about." Shepard was really losing his patience with this man.

"You know EXACTLY what I'm talking about." Before he continued speaking, he whispered into his mike, saying something indistinquishable from his point, but he soon realized what. The quarian, that filthy quarian this so called hero called his lover, stepped in. Next thing he knew, Shepard had his hair balled in his fist, and he leaned in close, "See that quarian? Her name is Tali, my lifemate and from a certain eye witness account..." At that moment, the thief in the black hoody decloaked and he forced himself not to lean back instinctively. Shepard must have noticed his slight movement, "Yes. She noticed what you did to her you racist dog. But you made a mistake in getting her arrested. For as soon as your little colleague...Rana...stepped in there, she was dead. My mother put a bullet right through her skull and if you don't come clean...same thing will happen to you!"

Andreas, despite the threats, sat in defiance, "I have my right to a lawyer! I don't any Rana! I was just protecting my store from thieves! It was in my right! And she!" He pointed an accusing finger at Kasumi, "She! She forced a credit chit into my mouth!" Andreas remembered how he had to spit it out. Shepard looked at Kasumi with a raised brow, Kasumi reciprocated the look, "What? Little prick was asking for it. He's lucky I wasn't Zaeed. He wouldn't be alive." Andreas shivered at the thought of the galaxy's most infamous bounty hunter coming to the quarian's aid. Shepard nodded in his head in 'you've got a point.' He stepped further away before eventually attracting Andreas' eye contact. Shepard smiled, "So you want your lawyer? I told you, Rana's dead. You know her, she admitted it!" Tali nodded, crossing her arms. Andreas knew when to keep his mouth shut.  _I've seen quarian women fight. Back when we were ordered to abduct quarian and turian test subjects for some project, I had to abduct one, I think her name was Xilota'Prowz. Yeah, she and her wannabe turian boyfriend in their hotel, watching Fleet and Flotilla. Could have had two subjects in a bag. But nope, Kirk just had to fuck up and that woman snapped his neck faster than I could say 'filth!'_

"I don't know Rana. I have no idea who she is. Now...I want my lawyer!" Shepard wanted to punch the wall.  _Who's great idea was it to give the clearly guilty a lawyer? They need to find a new job._ Shepard instead he remained visibly placid, before they heard the door open again and Lana stepped in. "Subject Decman. Your lawyer...unfortunently...is here." The man stepped in, and Shepard realized it was the same man who had come to Elias Kelham's aid.  _Why am I conviently meeting all these people?_ The lawyer took a drag of his cigarette but before he could open his mouth, a very hoppy man leapt past him. "Admiral Shepard! Ah! Lieutenant Shepard!" Shepard was about to tell Conrad to leave, but he saw Conrad was approaching Tali, not him. "You must be Shepard's wife!" Before Tali could open her mouth either, Conrad hugged her. Kasumi just stood there, grinning. Shepard could see it clearly under her dark hood.  _First an interrogation. Then a lawyer standoff. Now Conrad barges in and Tali gets some hugs. Uh...what odd situations we find ourselves in._ Kasumi just continued to grin her head off as Conrad let go of Tali and bowed. Tali didn't know what to say. She wanted to refute and say she wasn't his wife, but his lifemate, but that would require explanation. Something Conrad had trouble listening to. Instead, she smiled and looked at Shepard. Dropping the smile for a second she gave him a look of 'get him out of here, anyway you can.' If Shepard had been alone with her, he would have asked her if their bond was telepathic, as they so easily read each other. Instead, he motioned for Kasumi to have a 'chat' with him. Nodding, Kasumi wrapped her arm around Conrad's and walked him outside.

Andreas was confused by the turn of events.  _That was retarded._ Shepard refocused his attention on the Cerberus agent.  _There must be some way to make him break..._ Then it dawned on him, who else could read people's thoughts. He keyed his mike, "Joker, could you contact Javik and have him meet us at the C-Sec interrogation room on Zakera Ward. Shepard out." He then disconnected. He turned his gaze to the lawyer, who seemed unfazed. "So..." the lawyer immediately saw Shepard's gaze and froze in place. Shepard laughed, "Yes that's right. Its Spectre John Shepard again. I'd run off now before you waste more time."  _Another advantage of being a Spectre._ The lawyer nodded and simply walked off. Andreas sighed and rolled his head.  _Fucking Spectres. Come on Andreas, think!_ Lana stepped alittle closer to Andreas, before seemingly breaking off. Maybe she had been examining him, looking for facial flaws that could give away a hint of lies. Maybe she found none, and maybe he was just paranoid. Lana walked up to Shepard, her back to Andreas and whispered in his ear, "I've got to see to Kal. He's all yours. As a Spectre I imagine you could overrule me anyways."

He smiled and looked at Lana, "Commander Reegar, I would never think of such a thing!" Lana giggled, "I'm sure you wouldn't, but you do have a habit of getting what you want no matter the objection." She threw a glance at Tali and then smiled back at Shepard before saluting and walking off, the door closing behind her sleek form. Shepard shook his head in amusement before facing Andreas once more. "You people are retarded, I mean, you really are." Shepard just continued smiling, "Its called humor Andreas. Its what makes us family, why do you think we achieved the impossible? It wasn't through ruthless experiments and armies of upgraded soldiers like a certain black ops organization I know you work for." Andreas fists clenched to the point of being pure white. Not quite, but close.  _Don't let him break you. Remember Hellion's training._ "I don't work for Cerberus. I told you that. Why pick on a innocent shopkeeper?" Shepard laughed loudly, which didn't surprise Andreas. He was told the Admiral had a ego. A feeling of invincibility.  _Illusive Man wasn't exactly incorrect._ "Because your the exact opposite of innocent." At that moment, an alien like no other stood into the room. He looked like a fucking bug, his head shaped like a Collector, yet without glowing eyes and his eyes were reminicent of a reptile.

He wore what looked like ancient Earth Samurai armor, but it was built for his species, what species it was. He had three fingers, no surprise there, and three toes. "You summoned me Admiral." Shepard nodded, "Yes Javik. We've got a very uncooperative prisoner and I would be happy for you to...see through him. You know, do that thing that you do." Javik smiled weakly, before turning to Andreas. The alien named Javik reached his hand to touch him, but Andreas spoke first, "What...the...fuck...are you?" Javik smiled, "I am Prothean." Andreas froze.  _No. Its a guy in disguise. Has to be. This is some elaborate trick._ "Your a human under that suit. I can tell." Javik shook his head in disappointment, "You are thick human. I knew your kind when you still hiding in caves and hunting the animals you called 'Mammoths' to extinction. And you..." Shepard smiled as Javik pointed to the nearby turian.  _Broadcast his intelligence. Show Andreas he's the real deal._ "...I knew your kind when you were still running on all fours, like your native shatha. When you worked in packs." The turian was bewildered, wondering whether to take it as a insult, or simply historical fact. "And you...," he pointed to Kolyat, "Your kind, the Drell, I knew your people when you were simply quiet, peaceful people who walked in social groups. You were perfect hunters, but herbivores mostly. And you quarian..." As Javik pointed at the quarian female, who was trying to get her induction port into the socket, and she stopped as she saw his finger, dropping the straw. Shepard laughed, keying his dedicated channel, "Emergency...Induction...Port."

The only response was a simple, "Bosh'tet" and he had to stifle a laugh. He could imagine Tali was trying not to laugh either. Javik continued, "I knew your kind when you lived near trees. Your females would run out hunting while your males would stay to protect your young. You were emotional, symbiotic, and..." He stole a glance at Tali "...your women were and are still...extremely attractive." Although he could not see it, the quarian blushed heavily, looking for a reason to break the awkward silence. Tali was smiling, which was a surprise.  _I guess I'm getting used to it._

Satisfied that he had convinced Andreas of his current reality, he turned and before the human terrorist could react, placed a hand on his shoulder. Andreas saw his life flash before his eyes. Then he saw Rana, he and TIM shaking hands, Hellion giving him his mission and then he screamed, "I DID IT! I DID IT JUST STOP IT!" Shepard lifted a hand to signal Javik to stop. Javik immediately released his hand and moved to stand next to Tali. Shepard turned to Andreas, "So, you admit that you did it?" Andreas nodded erratically, "Rana was working alongside me and Hellion sent us to hijack the Normandy, kill the crew, especially you two and escape back to his base of operations in the Tasale System!" Andreas was a broken wreck. He wasn't telling them anything else, he had to prevent that from happening. Without thinking, he bit down hard on his tongue. Within seconds, white foam erupted from his mouth and everything went black. Shepard shook his head.  _I see they still use poison pills these days. Stick them to the agent's tongue and bite down hard when you know your cornered._

"There goes our source, John. What now?" Tali said, uncrossing her arms as she saw bits of white foam dribble from the dead prisoner's mouth. Shepard smiled, "We go to the Tasale System and do a thorough sweep of the area. My best bet is that Hellion's hiding on Illium, but its best to check first." Tali raised a brow, "I don't know John. Its pretty hard to hide a 5km long superdreadnought over a cityworld."

Shepard shook his head, "I know Bellerophon and Behemoth aren't there. However, Hellion was most likely sent out to prepare some of the major worlds for invasion. Weaken defenses, distract some ships, or maybe invade it himself. I don't know, but whatever he's up to...it can't be good." Tali nodded in agreement and they left the interrogation room, Shepard getting Kolyat and his men to move the body to disposal. Javik followed closely behind, and it wasn't long before Kasumi joined them again. "Got rid of Conrad for you." Shepard raised a brow, "What did you do." Kasumi smiled mischeviously, "I might have gotten him drunk and...set him to sleep." Shepard knew she didn't kill him, but if her words were true at all, then she had obviously done something. "Spit it out Kasumi. What did you do to him?"

Kasumi sighed. "Your no fun at all," she sighed again, "I got him drunk and left him in the Dark Star Lounge. He's going to wake up with a major hangover and one hell of a headache and be wondering where the hell he is." Shepard nodded.  _Sneaky as always._ It wasn't long before Joker came up on his omnitool, "Shepard. Small problem here." Shepard rolled his eyes.  _What other kind could there be?_ "What is it?" Joker smiled but ever so slightly, "To answer a question with a question, who's great idea was it to introduce Rael to the drive core?" Shepard stopped dead and Tali had as well. Seeing their expressions, Joker continued, "Well...Rael is kinda playing around in engineering and messing with EDI's systems. Ken, Gabby and Adams have long since gotten him out but..." Tali almost laughed as she saw Rael snatch Joker's cap and run off with it. Joker felt around his scalp and his face turned into one of anger, "That little...Come back here you little mobile murder!" Shepard could here Voz saying something before he ran off the bridge in pursuit of Rael. Joker turned to the screen. When he saw Shepard and Tali's expressions of amusement he rolled his eyes, "You need to control your child! God help us Tali if he's anything like you! EDI will have a hard time dodging his hacking attempts! And Shepard! What if he also gets the knack for blowing up everything?"

Shepard laughed, "We'll be right there, Joker. Shepard out." Joker was disconnecting when ship alarms went off. "DAMN IT! YOU LITTLE FUC...GET AWAY FROM..." The rest of Joker's words were cut off by the disconnection. Tali and Shepard burst out laughing, followed by Kasumi. Javik tried to join in, but ultimately failed. There was no humor to be found in the pilot's predicament.

...

"Hello, welcome to the AngryJoeShow. I am sorry about this. But my..my...my...mind. Is...jacked...jacked...jacked."

"Jacob, just what the hell is this?" Garrus asked, as he was completely confused by the human calling himself 'Joe.' He appeared to have a robotic voice. And was 'Mindjack?' it looked like somekind of Earth video game. Jacob chuckled, "A game reviewer. He goes back a hundred years, at least..." AngryJoe's voice cut in, "THIS!? This is how you start 2011?" Jacob stopped, "Yeah, 2011. I was close to correct." Garrus chuckled as he watched the reviewer bitch about the game. He was fully immersed and even fonud himself agreeing, even if he had never heard or played the game.

He, Jacob and Kal were just chilling out in the Lounge while Kasumi was out, watching television. He had watched many videos about old human shows such as Big Bang Theory, AngryJoe, Zero Punctuation, Tobuscus and so many others. He even heard of a few games he kinda grew fond of such as 'Assassin's Creed' which had only just released the newest variant in the series, 'Assassin's Creed: Drell Saga.' Other games like Far Cry, Max Payne, Halo, Call of Duty, Battlefield also held similiar tastes. Apparently Halo had stopped production as soon as the First Contact War began as the aliens in that game looked nothing like the actual living ones.

He hadn't been long since Lana joined them, sitting in Kal's lap, watching the videos with them. They sorta hovered in the background, not saying much to attract the group's attention. Garrus just continued to sip on his dextro brandy as he watched AngryJoe's review on Mindjack. It was certainly his favourite of the human videos, as he was quite the comedian. Then he heard Joker's shipwide announcement, "All hands, abandon ship. We are under attack." Garrus frowned and turned to Joker, pausing the video. "By Cerberus?" Joker didn't answer for a few seconds as the ship wide alarms went off. "No, by a crazing quman child! Abandon ship!" Garrus laughed, "Don't worry, Shepard and Tali will defeat him." Joker chuckled halfheartedly, "But this is the deadliest threat we've ever faced sir! Even the Reapers would shake in...PUT THAT DOWN!" Garrus began laughing his head off.

"Lieutenant Commander Vakarian, this is Flight Lieutenant Moreau, hostile is inbound on your location, over." Garrus smiled, "Copy that, we'll hold position until our duo reinforcements arrive." He motioned for Jacob, Kal and Lana to face the doors, pretending to look serious, but they all couldn't help but smile.  _Damn Shepard, this child is like you already._ The door opened and Rael stepped in, holding...No...

"My beloved!" Garrus shouted as he reached to grab the sniper rifle from the child's little hands. But the child was too fast and straffed his grab. Liara now stood in the doorway as he looked up, "Dumped me for a rifle, heh Garrus?" Garrus went to retort, but saw her smile. He looked to see that Rael didn't just have his sniper rifle. He had Tali's omnitool, Shepard's model Normandy, his widow sniper rifle, Liara's Glyph and Joker's cap. How was this kid managing to hold all this stuff, the sniper rifle confused him even more. How was Rael carrying it around without dragging it? "Uncle Garrus has big gun! Aunty Liara has cool robot!" Rael popped Joker's cap on his head and ran past Liara, who playfully let him past. "He's running off with the love of my life!"

Liara put her hands on her hips, "Your ex-love you mean?" Garrus stood up and smiled at her, "Who says I can't have both?" Liara lost her smile, "I do." Garrus laughed, "I was joking. Now come on, lets get our..."

"Stuff back?"

Everyone turned to see Shepard and Tali exit the elevator. "He has my omnitool John!" Shepard sighed, "And he has my model Normandy!" Tali rolled her eyes, "Noone  _cares_ about your precious little toy!" Shepard looked at her with mock shock, "That thing is not a toy! Its an antique!" Tali just mumbled, "whatever" before continuing towards them, "I'm guessing were not the only victims of his stealing spree. Really Kasumi, I think you'll be out of a job." Kasumi decloaked next to them, "Maybe in a while." Garrus nodded, "He took my sniper rifle from the armory, Liara's Glyph from her office and Joker's cap!" Shepard facepalmed, "Where is he now?"

"Ah! Watch out...!" Shepard put up his hand after hearing Gardner's shouting, "Don't answer that." He ran towards the Crew Deck where he found Gardner telling Rael not to touch the stove. "Rael! Get away from there! Now!" Tali ran forward and scooped Rael up in her arms, her arms sore immediately after picking him up, due to the added wait of the sniper rifle. She took the sniper rifle and gave it back to Garrus as he approached. He immediately hugged it, "My baby..." Liara rolled her eyes as she received Glyph back. Tali took back her omnitool and her eyes widened as she saw a very disturbing photo on the front, but thats not what caused the shock, "This omnitool had a passcode lock! How did you bypass it?" Forgetting her own question, she reattached her omnitool to her left arm and then gave back the model Normandy to Shepard.

"Now come on, your going to give this cap back to Uncle Jeff." Tali stated, and with that, they were in the elevator and rising towards the CIC. Shepard eyed Rael with amusement, but he did not return the look, he was too busy playing with the pal'tec vis surden hanging around Tali's neck. When they finally reached CIC, they headed immediately for the Bridge. It wasn't long before they saw Joker, who had finally turned off the alarm and was helping EDI fix everything. "Hey, what happened to Voz?" Joker said as he turned to the couple holding their hellion of a child. He smiled when he saw his cap on Rael's head.

"Right here, sir."

Voz came from behind the couple, holding his chest. Joker looked at him with concern, "What the hell happened to you? Looks like you tripped." Voz nodded, "That's exactly what happened. Kids are fast, I'll give them that." Tali couldn't help but giggle a little. Then she reentered serious mode and turned to Joker. "Rael would like to return your cap and apologize for causing trouble." Joker waved his hands in the air, "Don't. I found it quite enjoyable actually. Kids have got to act like that to have a proper childhood. I'd be surprised if didn't tear the place up. As for the cap, you know what, let him keep it. It looks good on him. Let him keep it as a reminder of me when this is all over."

Shepard nodded. Tali smiled as she saw Rael in the cap. He really did look good in it. She turned to Joker, "You sure?" Joker nodded again and Tali smiled again as Rael continued to be fascinated by her medallion. Shepard turned to Joker, remembering what else he wanted, "Joker, set a course for the Tasale System. Were going hunting." He nodded at Tali and she put Rael on the ground, took his little hand and walked him up to the cabin. Turning back to Joker, he spoke, "We believe Hellion's hiding on Illium, but I want the whole system scanned first. Were to capture Hellion for questioning. If he really is..." He was interrupted by EDI, "Admiral...incoming comm signal coming from Illium to the Citadel. Its Hellion."

"Hack into the transmission." EDI nodded and began typing into her console. Hellion's voice came up on the console, "Andreas. Rana. Tali and Shepard better be dead or I'll have your heads. When your done, meet me on Illium. I'm throwing a party there and I'd like you to be formally invited...," Joker raised a brow and Shepard, and he reciprocated it. "...to it. I've payed for the fees. Cerberus guards will be posted all over. I want this to be a quick clean up operation. There can be no room for stuffing up. Hellion out." The transmission stopped and Shepard crossed his arms smiling. He knew how he'd get Hellion. He keyed his omnitool, "Tali, meet me in the Citadel clothing area at 7:00. Were going shopping." EDI stopped him, "If you plan to infiltrate the party Shepard you should know one thing. Bring a date." Shepard raised a brow. EDI explained, "This party is fabricated for one purpose; its a strip party. Couple's bring their dates and the men talk and chat while their dates...well...do what they do in the strip party."

Shepard sighed in relief as he remembered he had turned off the omnitool. "Great. Well I know who my date is but I don't think she likes the prospect of stripping. We'll think of something. I have two reasons for not bring anyone else; one, I bring Tali everywhere, especially to parties involving dating, and two, she'll kill me if she sees me holding hands with Miranda, or Ashley, or...you get the idea." EDI nodded, "You will both need appropriate dressing and Tali will have to wear something...that a stripper would. Shepard sighed in defeat, "Thanks for adding another tick to Tali's list of reasons to kill me on the spot. Anything else?"

"Recommend an extraction team. Garrus or Kal leading it would be a intelligent choice." Shepard nodded, "Then I'll go get this party started. First by dropping the bomb on Tali. She's just going to love this." Joker laughed, "Just make sure your not watching her breasts as you do it. I think that'll just make her enen angrier." Shepard rolled his eyes as he walked, "Thanks for the tip." Joker continued laughing as he turned back to his console, "No prob." Then he saw the recommendations of the invitations Hellion sent. It was too late to tell Shepard, so he kept reading until his eyes dropped on the last few requirements.  _All Quarians Welcome._ Shepard raised a brow.  _Hellion hates quarians, thats for sure. Something's not right. Its almost as if...as if he's the master, the party is the ball of yarn, and Shepard is the cat. He's tempting Shepard with something he prefers. As if...As if he's..._

_As if he's inviting them to their deaths._

**Bosh'tet:** Thought by many non-quarians to be the quarian equivalent of "son of a bitch" or "bastard." Surprisingly, it is actually the name of a animal native to Rannoch, similiar to Earth rats. It is a rodent to lives my scavenging, but has a very low intelligence, is quite irritating and lazy. It eats the excrement of other animals, using what's let of it as a home and the undigested bits as sustenance. It will eat any dung, even its own. It will defend its dung pile at any cost, even its own kind, and has been known to fight to the death. Quarians used it as a curse word for people who are being stupid, unresponsive, irritating or fighting for a worthless cause or reason.

**First things first, has any of you heard of AngryJoeShow? If not, he's a link to the video I referenced in the chapter, its REALLY funny:** **watch?v=eK4u4uezIPM**

**And why not? Here's two of his funniest reviews:** **watch?v=LkwRJz1-2Qg**

**watch?v=_ArpWuV_zvo**

**Want to know how I got that idea in my head? Well I was listening to his Mindjack review as I started that paragraph and the next thing I know...well...hallejulah. Its there. So, I hope you find that bit funny. I also think letting Rael wear Joker's cap would be pretty cool. Besides, Joker needs some sunshine! Rael is a quman, so why can't he carry a sniper rifle? He's a hybrid! There's alot he can do! How did Rael bypass her passcode? He's the son of a genius combat engineer, so who says a passcode is going to stop him? And what can I say; Calinstel always made it clear that Shepard was like a child with his ship models. :P**

**I have a little challenge for you. There is a irregularity about the name of the chapter, and your challenge is to find out what. Comment in the review section. First one to figure it out gets their username used in the next chapter! Or maybe later on, I don't know. Depends.**

**And before you start saying 'hey, you got the party idea from nevertalk.' Yes, it was inspired, but not completely ripped off. Besides, you guys could do with a break from the romance and combat and do with some infiltrator stuff. Its kinda awkward to imagine Shepard in a tuxedo though, don't you think? If you don't know who 'nevertalk' is, he is obviously another fanfiction writer, and he is responsible for writing 'Reclamation', a very well written mass effect fanfiction based after the events of Mass Effect 2. No 'will you marry me?' or any dramatic 'I love you' scenes, just plain, simple and well-written Tali and Shepard romance. Its a good read, try it out. Heck, try Warrior Ethos, a fanfiction using ideas from Calinstel out as well. Its based after ME2's intro cutscene where Tali tries to come to terms with Shepard's death.**

**Anything else I'd like to say? Yes. I'm in a dilemma and internal war right now. I feel like Hitler in World War II where he was trying to fight two fronts at the same time. Except I have to write two different fanfics at the same time; Mass Effect 3: How it could have happened and To Survive II. I'm dearly in need of assistance. If you can offer any assistance on how to rotate between these stories and keep them both flowing, that'd be great. HICH is of course going to be slower cause I have a story to stick to with absolute perfect, but To Survive II is more 'daily' and more frequent, making it a difficult battle.**

**I feel like there is something else I should say, but there's nothing really. For you guys, its only 6 days till Christmas. Mine is technically already over. I will probably release a To Survive II chapter involving Christmas on that day just for the heck of it, so stay tuned. Hell, the whole chapter will be Christmas oriented probably. Hell, I'm starting to think Wrex makes a good Santa Clause. Even so, I think Rael will be on the naughty list...**

"Fight or Flight, Avet. Which is it going to be? I feel like I'm bluffing sis. I don't know what to do. I'm in love with a quarian admiral who loves me back, I'm with a organization where my loyalty is constantly questioned, even though its not there, and now Hellion maybe a threat to everything I've ever cared for. I don't know Avet. What would you do? When you lost Nicolas on Ferris Fields, what did you do? Please sis, I know we haven't been on good ties lately, but I really need your help. If not for me, do it for our family. Do it for Nick. Because its either Daro, you...or Cerberus."

\- Connor Faringar


	37. Camouflage, Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Both sides lay the bait, and both sides are poised to take it.

**TO SURVIVE II:**

**AFTERMATH**

_**Camouflage Part 1** _

Once it had been all black. At one point, he had seen nothing but darkness. Then the darkness receded, and he was looking straight at a batarian. He was forcefully kneeled on the ground, the darkness must have been a bag over his head. He looked up to see a batarian Mantis gunship hovering 6 meters above his target. The target that had captured him. His name was Balak, and he had only one mission; end this bastard. He was being held down firmly by two flanking batarian soldiers.  _Fucking batarians. Terrorists; all of them._ Connor looked Balak dead in the eyes, and the same cold stare was returned only a second later. He could see through Balak's thick batarian skull, and what he saw on the otherside was a rage he had never witnessed.

"You human...you will pay for your crimes against the hegemony! You and humanity will pay for taking the Skyillian Verge from us!" Connor rolled his eyes and moaned.  _Still going on about the Verge. Their attack on Elysium and our counterattack on Torfan. Can't they just shut up about it?_ "That happened years ago, can't you just let it all go?" Balak looked enraged, if a batarian could. Balak leaned down and punched Connor in the face, but he barely felt the pain it intended to wreak on him. "We never forget." Balak stood back up and walked back to his standing position and began reading out the terms of his execution. "You...human...wannabe Human Spectre of the Council, Connor Faringar. Are sentenced by the Council to execution." Connor was confused at how Balak knew his name and then it dawned on him.  _Those scheming assholes. No, the Council wouldn't...yes, they would have. Bastards. I'll kill them all, every last one of them. Those three smiles hiding behind their policies will die very shortly._

He let his fingers feel around his back and he felt his backup omniblade.  _Stupid batarians. Didn't even conduct a proper body search._ Taking the omniblade, he fitted it onto his arm and waited for the moment to strike. He heard Balak's words, now nothing but background noise. The gunship would be a nessacary obstacle, as he would need it to escape offworld anyway. He slowly smiled as he pulled up his hand and hit the switch. The omniblade swung into action, hitting the right batarian in the chest. He reeled back in pain and shock, allowing Connor to continue his assault and stab the left batarian in the arm, forcing him to let go. He grabbed the nearby Carnifex Hand Cannon and blew the left restrainer's head straight off his shoulders. Making sure to follow through, he killed the second, charging restrainer. He turned to Balak, only to find him gone and the gunship rearing its gun on him.

Acting out of instinct, Connor ran towards the nearest building and, almost like a skilled assassin doing parkour, leapt up the crates and used them as a jump pad to get on the building's roof. Without thinking, he ran back and leapt off, landing straight on the gunship. The carnifex quickly relieved itself of his grip, falling into the streets below. The batarian pilot tried spins to shake him off, but nothing worked. Rearing his right arm, he lunged forward and punched right through the cockpit glass, shattering it upon impact. His hand reached out and grabbed the batarian pilot's head and when he felt it in his grip, he wacked it onto the front console, knocking him out. With no pilot, the gunship quickly lost control.

Making sure not to loosen his grip, Connor ripped the hatch open and stepped inside, relieving the batarian body of its post and taking the pilot's seat. With his basic piloting training kicking in, it wasn't long before he headed for what looked like a spaceport. With the engines revving up he continued heading straight for the-

"Connor, Connor wake up. Its Daro." Connor shot open his eyes and sat up.  _What is with those recollections. What are they trying to tell me?_ Shaking his head he prepared to stand up and have a shower but remembered that Daro was waiting for an answer. He keyed his comm, "Yes Daro, I'm awake now. What's wrong?" The back of his neck ached and his head was pounding. He really did not want to do anything involved work. "Shepard is what's wrong. Hellion's got a trap planned for him and Tali. He's not letting me get involved."

Connor raised a brow. "Why would you want to get involved anyway?" It confused him why Daro would care about Shepard at all, or Tali. For all he knew, she was here because of him and her obsession with the geth. He too was fascinated by the geth, but he wasn't obsessed. He just said that she wouldn't get mad. "Because I've been gunning to kill that bosh'tet and her ape of a lifemate for quite a while. Now is my chance to rid of them so they can't interfere with plans to subjugate the geth."

Connor nodded, "I'll have Hellion give you clearence. I'll force him to see reason." Daro sighed, "Thank you Connor." He could hear her coughing. He frowned, "Are you okay?" Daro shook her head, aware Connor couldn't see the gesture, "Still sick from last night. I certainly don't regret it, but its taken a toll on my immune system. But if Tali can adapt, then I can. Daro out." With that, Daro cut the line and Connor sighed. Switching communications lines, he called Hellion. Hopefully, the moron would pick up. If not, he would use his 'persuasive techniques' to convince him. He preferred the latter purely out seeing Hellion scream.  _Little bastard thinks he is so special._

He was pleasantly surprised when Hellion actually spoke, "Yes Connor, what the hell do you want? Unlike you, I've actually got an operation to run." Connor rolled his eyes, "So does my soon to be lifemate. Let her have access. All she wants is Tali's head. You can have Shepard to yourself." Hellion laughed, "That sucks. I want Tali all to myself...if you can catch my meaning." Connor didn't even smile. This man was purely vile and had no soul. How this man could live with himself was beyond him. "You'll probably end up like Bradley. Now come on, let Daro have access. She wants to kill Tali. Let her have access or you'll find Hawk has learned a few of your secrets."

Hellion chuckled again, "Your so full of shit Connor. If you had any balls, you'd have fought me already. You know I'm better then you, thats why you haven't yet." Connor stood up firmly, "If a fight is what you want  _Yuri_ then maybe you should come say it to my face." Hellion appeared to hiss. Connor smiled. "I'm not Yuri anymore, its Hellion. Admiral Xen will have her access, but if she fucks up, its on your ass, not mine." He cut Connor off by disconnecting. Connor chuckled silently as he dropped his mic to the ground.  _Yuri, you little joker. I wonder if Vido was still alive, he might be pretty pissed at your treachery. I will have to admit; your no simple merc._

He wondered if Xen would be safe around him, but he was sure she would be.  _She's Daro'Xen for fuck sake. She's a quarian admiral, she didn't become one by simple vote. She earned her place...militarily. She can handle herself._ Maybe this is how being a lifemate felt like. Constantly worried about your other half.  _Daro might have to explain this alittle more._ He keyed his comm, realizing Daro needed to know. "Daro, Hellion's given you sanction to go. He's waiting for you on Illium, meet one of his agents in the Eternity Bar."

"Thanks Connor, I'll come back with that girl's head." Connor stopped and spoke, "Daro...show her some mercy. Don't...kill her like that." Daro was furious by this man's ignorance, "Who do you care about more? Me or that whore? That... _Tzzazik_?" Connor sighed heavily. "You know the answer to that. Your my soul Daro. But Tali doesn't deserve that kind of...gruesome death. If your going to kill her...kill her fast. Noone deserves that...unless they've...done something brutal." Daro smiled at Connor's sentiment. "Very well Connor. But this is the last time. Next time I do it my way." Connor nodded, "And Daro, just...be careful. Don' get to carried away. Hellion's a tenacious bastard, he'll stab you in the back, given half the chance."

Daro smiled again, "You don't think I became an admiral by sweettalking do you? I'll be fine, I promise." Connor nodded again as she disconnected.  _I certainly hope you know what your doing Daro._ He reached into his locker and grabbed a fresh pair of clothes and entered the shower cubicle.

_Cause I don't._

...

"Okay Tali...I know your pissed..." Shepard pleaded with the clearly angry quarian female. She was a sight to fear. If quarian eyes could be filled with rage, then this was it. It was there in the clear, for everyone to see. Tali turned her face to him. "Pissed!? I'm FURIOUS! How could you do this to me? You want me to be your...stripper? How dare you!" Shepard put his arms on her shoulders, and she surprisingly didn't shrug him off. "Tali, I didn't suggest it. EDI did." Tali gave him a 'oh really' face. "Blame it on the AI why don't you."

EDI took her time to speak up, "Actually, he is correct. I suggested it." Tali's eyes widened. EDI was talking to them in their cabin, in their shower, and she was naked. "Keelah! EDI, don't do that!" EDI immediately apologized, "I apologize for the intrusion. But I merely wanted to confirm what the Admiral said was fact." Tali rolled her eyes, "Thank you...EDI." After what seemed like a minute, Tali spoke up again, "This plan is ridiculous and I'm not doing it." Shepard sighed as the hot water continued to rush over them. He took the nearby shampoo began rubbing it into her head as she rested it in his chest. "Tali, ever heard of the saying 'take one for the team?'" Tali immediately looked into his eyes, "Yes! But I'm not walking in as a stripper! If you were in my position, what would happen if I asked you to become a sex icon for other men to stare at and fondle with? I'm yours and only yours. I'm not having other men touch me!"

He sighed once again as he stopped rubbing in the shampoo for a second. He put both of his hands to her cheeks and spoke clearly, "Tali, you know I would never ask another man to touch you. Ever." Tali immediately retorted, "Then why are you asking me to do this!" Shepard shook his head, "I'm asking you to go undercover. I won't let them touch you, I promise. Besides, my bond to you forbids it. I'd probably end up killing one of them for touching you." Tali smiled and playfully hit his chest. "You'd better. Otherwise I might have to kill them myself." Shepard smiled and hugged her, "Thats my girl. Now come on, we have to go to the Citadel to get some clothes for tommorrow. We also need plenty of rest. Unfortunently Tali, that means you have to..."

Tali moaned, "...dress up as a stripper. Remind me to kill EDI when we get back." Shepard smiled and chuckled as he added more shampoo into Tali's hair. It wasn't long before they had finished up their shower and gotten dressed, Tali getting into her suit simply to ward off any unwanted attention, and headed onto the Citadel. It wasn't long before they found the clothing area and they headed over to the men's section first. They had numerous sections for each species but disgustingly enough, none for quarians.  _Maybe not racism. Afterall, quarians only wore suits until a month ago._ He walked over to the human section and looked at the men's sized tuxedos. He picked up one of them and looked at it. After a minute, he turned to Tali, grinning.

"How does this look on me?" Tali gave a pretend gesture of examination, and then used her fingers to form a box before bringing them down and putting a thumbs up. "Positively sexy." Shepard chuckled as he also took notice of a bow tie, and took it. "Nice red bow tie. Just like in the movies. I should watch James Bond again." Tali gave him a confused look. He chuckled at the gesture, "Maybe you could watch them with me." Tali smiled and nodded. Then something else caught his eye, glimmering in the corner. "Hold these for a second please." Tali nodded and took his tuxedo and tie, before he walked over to the stall.

"Excuse me ma'am, your not allowed to handle those." Tali turned to see a salarian approaching her, the voice evidently female. Tali sighed but not before Shepard came back, "She's with me." The salarian stopped at the sight of Shepard, "No matter. We'll have to ask you to order your servant not to touch anything. Actually, I could use her help repairing a malfunctioning panel. Come with me please." The salarian reached out and grabbed Tali's arm. "Let her go. Now. She's not my servant." The salarian smiled, "If she isn't taken then, I'll buy her. Now come along." The salarian did not let go and continued to move until Shepard grabbed her arm, causing a swift glare to switch towards him. "Maybe I wasn't clear enough. She  _isn't_ a servant. She is my lifemate, and if you value the bones in your arm, you'll let go now." The salarian stared bluntly at the threat, but let go nonetheless.

"How dare you threaten me! I'll have you..."

"Get out of here Uris. Take your racist mouth somewhere else." All three of them turned towards the person, but the salarian named Uris seemed to look downward. Both of them following the salarian's gaze, Shepard and Tali saw a Volus approaching them. The volus stopped, looking at Uris intently. Uris became blabbing, "Your just allowing these beggars and thieves into our store? You know their reputation! What if..." That's it, Tali had had enough of this racism. "WE ARE NOT BEGGARS OR THIEVES YOU DET KAZUAT!" With a single swift movement, she punched Uris in the side of the jaw. Uris backed away awkwardly from the strike, and looked at Tali in surprise. "She..." They all heard the Volus' breathing mask exhale and they knew he was about to speak, but the voice was...feminine? Shepard had noticed it before, but now it stood out even more. This was it, his first female volus. Not that he cared much. "Get out Uris! Go talk to that poster outside! This 'beggar and thief' saved the Citadel, destroyed the Collector Base and helped fight off the Reapers. Show some damn respect when its due, now get out before I consider firing you!"

Uris erratically nodded and ran out of the store, still cradling her jaw. Tali smiled, "That felt good. I've always wanted to do that." Shepard clapped, "Congratulations. Next thing you know they'll have headlines saying 'Tali'Shepard vas Rannoch, Bane of Racism! Guardian of Quarians!" Tali playfully hit him in the shoulder and gave him his tuxedo and tie back. She also noticed the hat on his head. "You got a hat!" she exclaimed. Shepard nodded and smiled, "I look like Indiana Jones in this!" Tali raised a brow; not noticable behind her red mask but it was there for Shepard to see at least. "Another set of movies we'll have to watch together." Tali nodded in approval.

"Ahem. Forgetting someone?" They both turned back to the female volus, who was still standing there, looking at them. "Oh yes, sorry. Thanks for helping us out there." Shepard was slightly annoyed.  _What does this volus want? A medal? Oh wait...she wants my money. And what currently defunct gaming company does that remind me of..._ The volus attempted a solemn nod, but it didn't come out well. "You are most welcome. Now just as a reminder, I must tell you that that tuxedo and bow tie will cost you 150,000 credits?" Shepard almost choked on his own tongue.  _150 what?_ The volus held up her hands and smiled behind her mask as she saw Shepard's expression, "But since your the hero of the galaxy and you've had enough shit from my employee, I'll give you a 80% discount." Shepard smiled. The volus then turned to Tali, "As for you young lady...I'll give you the same discount and a little something extra. I'll have one of my best dress designers prepare some clothing for you."

Shepard couldn't deny the offer. Tali nodded. The volus smiled and spoke again, "What kind of clothing are you looking for?" Tali didn't need to give much thought, but the next pair of words didn't bode well, "I need to look like a stripper." The volus widened her eyes in shock, a redundant gesture, and Shepard just facepalmed. "Why in the world would you...?"

"Infiltration mission. Classified." Shepard explained, trying to cover up that he meant 'none of our business.' But most of it was true, just not the classified bit. The volus nodded, once again, pointlessly, "I see. Well, I shall have something prepared. I shall also get a clean room ready for..." Tali held up her hands, "That won't be nessacary. I've got...special treatment." Shepard wanted to chuckle at that statement, but kept his mouth shut. The volus motioned for Tali to follow her, and that she did, but not before keying her dedicated channel, "You owe me for this. You...and EDI." Shepard laughed before retorting, "I'll inform Rael..." Tali snapped a look at him and he held his hands up defensively, "Just joking..." He turned away, putting the tuxedo over his shoulder, grinning as he went, "Emergency Induction port time. Gee, that sounds familiar actually..."

"OH YOU LITTLE..." Was Tali's only response before Shepard decided to quicken his pace. His upgrades allowed him to run and terrifying speed, but Tali would outrun him in seconds. Especially at this distance. He continued walking when he heard a familiar voice, "Why do you do that to her. What kind of son did I bring up?" Shepard stopped and smiled, looking at Hannah, who stood in the corner. She wore her useful bright smile and carried her usually blissful demeanour with her. She walked forward and hugged him before letting go. "Hi mum." Hannah laughed, "What happened to formality?" Shepard smiled and snapped in a salute, "Rear Admiral Lower Half Hannah Shepard ma'am!" She smiled and returned the playful salute, "Captain John Shepard!" Shepard smiled, "Actually, its Rear Admiral lower half now." Hannah nodded in impression. Shepard lost his smile, "Look mum, you picked a pretty terrible time to talk. We were just heading out."

Hannah raised a brow, "Were in the galactic stage could you be going now?" Shepard looked at the Normandy, which hovered to far up above. He keyed his comm, "Tali meet you back at the Normandy." No response. "Tali?" No response. He was starting to get worried when he heard an asari's voice respond, "She's in a dress cubicle. She heard you." Shepard nodded and put a hand on Hannah's shoulder. "So what do you say mum? Ready to see Rael again? The new Normandy?"

"It'd be a pleasure, son."

...

"Hellion sir, Rana and Andreas still haven't reported in. Should I send in Geo to check it out?" Hellion stood patiently on his pedestal, quitely overlooking the entire theatre of where the party would take place. He looked at the assault trooper captain with a simple smile. "That won't be nessacary. My trap is all set up, now I just need it sprung. Has Daro'Xen arrived yet?"

"I'm right here."

Hellion turned to see Xen walk into the room, shotgun strapped to her waist and assault rifle on her back.  _Striker and Claymore. Efficient._ Hellion held out his hand to greet the woman, but she never took it. Good. He had only been looking for an excuse to gun the filth down. "So, you want Tali dead do you?" Xen examined Hellion with a stern gaze, never filtering. She was dead serious, she wasn't letting some idiot exploit her.  _I leave that up to Connor._ She crossed her arms, "No, I'm here for the beautiful scenery and the hordes of men just waiting to comment on my hips." Her voice dripped with sarcasm. Hellion laughed, "I like your business based personality. I hope we both get an equal share of that woman's dead corpse. I see this becoming a very close working relationship."

He went to touch Xen's cheek, or side of her helmet, but he felt the barrel of a shotgun jutting into his chest. "Stop touching me Hellion or I'll relieve you of command myself." Hellion chuckled as he backed off, watching Xen reseat her shotgun. She then walked down the staircase to her position, Hellion watching as she went. "Keep an eye on her." He ordered the Assault Trooper Captain, and the trooper ran off. He went back to his position of overlooking the complex. He smiled, almost evilly in some mediocre cliche fashion.  _Once again I have my gold coin._ He pulled it out of his pocket and layed on his clenched fist.  _Shepard is tails, and I am heads. I can bend fate the I want it too. Its almost as if...Bellerophon guides my movements._ He chucked the coin and it landed on the ground, spinning until it landed on heads. He grabbed it and put it in his pocket, smiling.

_And may the odds never be in your favor. This is my games, and I make up the rules._

_But I only have one rule. Its quite simple really._

_Fuck with me, and you fuck with destiny._

**Det kazuat:** Term of curse, considered especially crude. Literal Translation: Living sack of excrement. The Otquer, a large predatory lizard, will pass its meal neatly wrapped in a membranous tissue. Inside the sack, the enzymes used to break down the meat of the prey while still in the lizard continue to act as a stimulant keeping the indigestible brain synapses of its last meal still working until the sun dries the sack out.

 **Tzzazik:** Term used when describing traitorous lifemates. Literal Translation: Unknown. Used as a curse word, but all translations lead to the word 'slut'. The actual translation is unknown, even to the quarian people themselves. Due to Shala's reaction though, it is likely she knew what it meant.

 **Bosh'tet:** Thought by many non-quarians to be the quarian equivalent of "son of a bitch" or "bastard." Surprisingly, it is actually the name of a animal native to Rannoch, similiar to Earth rats. It is a rodent to lives my scavenging, but has a very low intelligence, is quite irritating and lazy. It eats the excrement of other animals, using what's let of it as a home and the undigested bits as sustenance. It will eat any dung, even its own. It will defend its dung pile at any cost, even its own kind, and has been known to fight to the death. Quarians used it as a curse word for people who are being stupid, unresponsive, irritating or fighting for a worthless cause or reason.

**So, what this a interesting chapter or not?**

**So, do you remember who Yuri is? I bet you do. Don't remember him? Lets just say he was involved in indoctrinating Tali. How did he become Hellion? Well he did something bad...and he was punished. But how so you wonder? Why is being Hellion so bad? Well you see...Hellion is more than a simple codename...**

**Now, read through Hellion's last thoughts in the chapter and tell me what I'm referencing. It should stand out straight away if you watched the movie. ;)**

**On a sadder note, I am utilizing a newer and to be honest, more efficient chapter system where the chapters will be significantly shorter, no more than 5,000 words, 6,000 if I'm in a REAL writing mood. The 'finale' chapters will be long, but the current ones will be no longer than 5,000, damn even that's hopeful. No more than 4,000 most likely. Really depends.**

**We have multiple stories happening. Shepard and Tali. Connor and Daro. Hellion and Connor. Hawk and the Illusive Man. Bellerophon and Cerberus. What do all these stories have in common? And how the hell is Bellerophon alive? Will Shepard and Tali survive Hellion's trap and capture him? Does he hold all the answers? And what of Daro? Can she really be reasoned with. And what is it about Connor's past that might change the fate of one of the galaxy's most important council races?**

**Find out soon, in To Survive II: Aftermath. For all questions have an answer, you just have to seek them out.**

**Now I'm done with suspense, I say goodbye to you all and recommend you watch the movie 'Kickassia'. Its a really funny movie that I recommend you watch. Can easily be found on YouTube so don't bother yourself by looking in your nearest video shop.**

**:D**

"Don't fuck with Aria."

\- Aria T'Loak


	38. Camouflage, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The noose tightens. Xen rids herself of a thorn in her side.

**TO SURVIVE II:**

**AFTERMATH**

_**Camouflage Part 2** _

Hawk slammed his fist into the table, his anger fully peaked. This was getting tiresome. He hated failure, he wasn't taking it no more. "Damn it Hudson, I want the new supply line of Atlases delivered now!" Hudson just stood opposite of the enraged Cerberus second-in-command, looking at him with curious eyes. "Mr. Torrento..." Hawk's eyes glazed in fury as Shepard voice reentered his head.

_"Rafael Torrento, stand down!" Rafael didn't listen, he lunged again at Rito for a second strike but this time, Shepard intercepted it. Rafael tried to counterattack, but Shepard already had him disarmed and on the ground, looking down the barrel of a empty pistol. "Go ahead Shepard...do it. Shoot me." Rafael enticed Shepard to do it. Give him a reason to kill him on the spot. Shepard just smiled and dropped the pistol, "The pistol doesn't have a thermal clip." Shepard then signalled to Mitchell, and he held out his hand to help. Rafael ignored it, shoving Mitchell off and getting to his feet. He dusted himself off before eying Julia and Rito with disgust. He was about to walk off when Shepard's voice came into his ears, ringing like a harsh noise. "Mr. Torrento..."_

Hudson had made a fatal mistake, one that now cost him his life. Hawk was simply a modern assassin, he wasn't Ezio Auditore, no, but he was the more modern ezio. Hidden retractable blades hid under his armor sleeves, and hidden cannons were attached under his wrist. "Come here Hudson..." Hudson made the mistake of leaning in, and Hawk put a palm to his neck, letting his hidden blade do the work. The blade retracted, and Hudson's lifeless body slid to the floor. He eyed the two centurions standing attention next to him for them to get rid of the body. He motioned for one of the centurions to stop, "Get Gilvorich on this. If he fucks up, he'll end up like Hudson. Make sure he fully understands that. If he doesn't, kill him and find someone else." The centurion nodded and left the room, dragging Hudson's body behind him.

Hawk sighed.  _Fuck you Shepard. Why do you stuff with my mind like this. I was given the worst assignments because of you, why did I have to be stuck with your squad on Elysium. At least his precious little Julia didn't get out alive. Or that wimp of a soldier, Rito. I'm happy to have had the honor to take out that bitch myself._ Yes, it had been Hawk who had ended Julia's life, and he was the main reason Elysium's defenses fell. Didn't mean he wanted the batarian leader of course, just a chance to eliminate their leader, which he did. He saw the invasion of Elysium was the only means to achieve that singular goal. Hawk then clenched his fist again.  _Now Shepard has found another woman to go soft on. Worst of all...a quarian. Julia was preferable over that filthy inconvience. No matter, when Bellerophon is done, his race will once more rule the galaxy._

He was interrupted by Illusive's voice, "Hawk. Has made progress in Project: Rebirth?" Hawk shook his head, "No. I've had to...terminate him. Dr. Viktor Gilvorich is in charge now. No progress has been made. However, a tiny breakthrough was made with a single strain of...DNA." Illusive took a puff from his cigarette, "What kind of DNA?" Hawk smiled. "One that correlates with the Reaper's creators." Illusive shook his head, "Useless to us." Hawk shook his head and leaned forward more, "Don't dismiss this so quickly. Haven't you heard? The Reaper's creator species isn't extinct yet. Shepard found 3 of their kind still alive. Aquatic creatures."

TIM raised a brow, now fully interested. "Do we have a name?" Hawk nodded, "I've just read the codex they created on them, no official name but for now their being dubbed the Leviathans." Illusive nodded with a smile, "See what else you can get from the codex. I want to know all we can about these Leviathans. I believe we have found our key." Hawk nodded, "Yes sir."

Hawk disconnected and sat down in his chair, looking out into the vast void of space, the stars bending way due Bellerophon's transit. He leaned back and closed his eyes, letting the memories of Julia's dead face cloud his thoughts. He loved it all. Shepard's pained screams, the sounds of dying civilians, the racket of gunfire. All these sounds, so delicious. Enticing. Exciting. Adrenaline-pumping. He had loved every moment of it. Even batarian blood tasted so good.

Bellerophon quietly observed the slumbering Field Marshall and then scoffed in his own Reaper way.

_I have already found my key. Cerberus. And my plans are much different from yours, organics._

...

"Damn Shepard, looking good. If I were to guess right, this is a formal or military occasion?" Mitchell asked right off the bat, as soon as Shepard exited the elevator. Shepard was dressed in his tuxedo and bow tie. His belt was not just there for good looks; it wrapped around a perfectly concealed Phalanx Heavy Pistol, hiden underneath his tuxedo. Shepard smiled at Mitchell's comment, who, as always, had his Raptor strapped to his back, and was wearing a more up to date medium armor model. From what it looked like, he was wearing a variant of the Terminus Assault Armor, just without the helmet. It really suited his personality.

"Yes Mitch, its a infiltration mission. We've found Hellion and were moving in to commence and tag and bag. We'll grab him the target and quickly exfiltrate hopefully without any enemy resistance. Although, I doubt that will ever happen. Not with Mrs. Shepard up there," he pointed up at his cabin up above,"throwing a huge tantrum." Mitchell chuckled, "You never were one to wear any good looking stuff. You always insisted on wearing shit that looked like shit. Guess it matches your personality, right?" Shepard chuckled lightly, "Watch your mouth Mitchell, it might start asking for a bullet soon." Mitchell started laughing again. "Wait, you mentioned...well...your wife...throwing a...tantrum?" They all went silent as they heard banging. Followed by a long list of Khelish profanities ending with the unmistakable words of 'can't do it' and 'strip club! of all things!'

Mitchell let out a 'uh' of understanding. Shepard nodded, crossing his arms. "Yeah, she isn't taking it to lightly. I've tried to assure her, but its really up to her now. She's embarassed and doesn't want people seeing her." Mitchell shrugged. It didn't take long before Hannah walked out of the elevator, a bruise on her forehead. "Well, that was fun." Shepard widened his eyes, "Mum, what in the world happened?" Hannah held up her hands, "I may have said some words that didn't translate correctly and well...hey, may I ask, is Rael like her bodyguard? I'm pretty sure it was him who threw that plate at me." Shepard put a hand to his forehead.  _You've got to be kidding me._ "Give her some time, she'll come out eventually." Hannah rolled her eyes, "Yeah and you'll find me in Fornax. And before you get any ideas, I was using that as a...sarcastic remark." Shepard and Mitchell were trying not to laugh. Mitchell then spoke, "Ma'am, I think you'd remember me? Mitchell Falcolm."

Hannah nodded and, ignoring Mitchell's hand, hugged him. "How could I forget, you and my son went to school together. And because of you, my son learned of the Alliance. It was you who convinced him to sign up you know!" Mitchell shrugged, crossing his arms, "We all have our duty to perform. From what I here anyway, I've heard its now compulsory for all men and women to deserve at least 5 years of service." Hannah laughs, "True. Very true." It was then that the doors opened and the pinnacle of absolute, pure vehemence stepped out of the elevator. Shepard hesitantly gave the quarian a wide birth, and so did Hannah and Mitchell, Hannah making sure Jacob, who had almost mistakenly walked into the wrecking ball's path, didn't get hurt. Javik observed the scene from the galaxy map. He had learned long ago not to underestimate this quarian.  _I know of their bonds. Its their weakness, but for this quarian, this Tali, its her strength._ He quietly watched as Tali stormed past.

It looked like her path would be uninterrupted, but Garrus just had to visit Joker and leave at this exact moment. Shepard saw Garrus and tried to shout out warning, but it was too late. "Hey Tali...whoa, where you off to, a party?" Tali stopped and her face looked at Garrus. The turian was petrified; everything in the quarian's body language shouted 'rage.' Had he seen it, he wouldn't be embedded in the wall right now. Slidding down, the quarian continued heading towards the bridge. Shepard ran up to him, holdind out a hand to heft him up. Once up Garrus looked at Tali again, "What poor imbecile decided to piss her off? Damn, you do realize how sexy she is when she's pissed right?" Shepard chuckled, "You think this is pissed? No, this is just her when she's upset." Garrus' eyes widened, "Then what is she like when she's pissed?"

"Remember on Earth? When we faced down that Reaper Destroyer and those hordes of Banshees?" Garrus snapped his look back to Shepard, which had been constantly drifting to Liara, who had just exited the armoury to join them. "Your shitting me. THAT's her pissed? I thought she was just having a mental breakdown!" Shepard shook his head. Garrus whispered, "Inform the Krogan Confederacy. I believe the krogan people are in great anger. I believe the Reapers have met their match." Shepard quietly chuckled, but to his unfortune, Tali's hearing was beyond perfect. "I can hear you talking about me you bosh'tets!" She got a piercing glare at them before entering the airlock. "Yep, she's upset. Please Shepard, if you ever get attacked, make sure you get attacked somewhere where we aren't present!" With that Garrus ran off towards the elevator, hoping to escape any wrath or fit of fury that the young quarian enters.

He sighed as he leaned into the elevator wall.  _Ah...freedo..._ "Hello Uncle Garrus." Garrus opened his eyes and looked at the horror child. Now he remembered the name.  _Chucky._ "Spirits have mercy!"

Shepard walked up into the bridge and behind Joker, but before he could ask, he was beaten to it, "Already there Admiral. We've landed at the usual area, which looks like Wrex took a shit on it and EDI has determined that Hellion's party is in the Silver Moon Night Club. He's got numerous Cerberus personnel on site but so do we. All teams are ready to move in when you need them too. Team leaders are Mitchell, Garrus, Kal and Javik. So, is that what you were going to ask? Am I  _the_  foreteller?" Shepard chuckled, crossing his arms, "Yes, but not quite." Joker gafawed, "Are you serious? What? What did I miss?" Shepard looked at the airlock and back, "An emergency induction port."

"Can...still...hear...you."

Shepard cursed under his breath. Joker gave serious face. "You made that up." Shepard gave him a 'no shit' look and headed for the airlock, "Blame it on Lana." Joker began to open his mouth, but Lana, who just happened to be standing next to him, spoke first, "Try it bosh'tet. I dare you." He looked to see Kal and Lana. "I'd rather not. Wait, aren't you meant to be leading those pathetic excuses for police officers back on the Citadel?" Lana shrugged, "This is more fun. I left Kolyat in charge." Joker gave a half nod, before turning back to his console.

Shepard stood quietly next to Tali in the airlock, who was determined to look at the airlock door. She wasn't budging. He constantly moved closer to her, being careful not to provoke her.  _I swear to god, there is goddamn sweat on my face!_ Eventually, he was in position to wrap his arm around her waist. Tali, surprisingly didn't hit him. No, instead, she...laughed?

"You owe me so much for this."

Shepard shrugged, "Taking one for the team." Tali just kept laughing as she began practising her seductive swaying of hips, she didn't need to as that move alone was already hypnotising enough, and licked her lips in a seductive manner. He raised a brow, "What are you doing?" Tali rolled her eyes and kissed him on the cheek, "Practising my act as a stripper. I may not like it, but the mission depends on it. Besides, if we capture Hellion it'll be all worth it. You know, you look so handsome in that suit. You should wear it more." Shepard looked at his tuxedo and back at her, shaking his head with a evident smile. "Definitely not. I hate tuxedos." Tali shrugged and wrapped her arm around his waist along his arm around hers. Taking a deep breath, he broke the embrace and took her hand. Soon, they were in a cab and heading towards the Silver Moon.

_No escape this time Hellion. Your mine._

...

Xen sat at her table, sipping her dextro-amino drink. Her eyes scanned the room, looking for Hellion. They did not find him, which didn't frighten her as much as it angered her.  _What am I? Bait. Pretend to be a quarian on pilgrimage he said. I have the voice of a 40 year old human, what idiot would fall for this obvious trick?_ She was disgusted by the sight around her, although she shouldn't be surprised, as it was a strip club. Whole tables littered the area, men huddled around them like moths to a light, the females numbering from asari and humans to even turians and  _disgusting. Just revolting. Salarian strippers are now squarely at the top of my most digusting list._

Xen ripped away from the vomiting inducing sight and took another sip of her drink. Nothing fancy, just a simple quarian brandy. Something that wasn't anything short of a rarity these days. But as Rannoch's once glorious economy was thriving again, that would change.  _There was a time when turians loved quarian brandy. That time will come again. But when it does, the geth will be under MY control._ She took a huge swig of her drink, downing it and placed the cup on the table, bringing up her omnitool, finding a message from Connor.  _Can't get enough of me, can you Connor?_ She pulled up the message to find he had sent her warning about Hellion. According to him, Hellion was using her as bait for Shepard's gun.  _Thank you Connor. You may have just saved my life._ She looked up to see Hellion looking directly at her, his powerful gaze penetrating her mask and surging through her thoughts. For the first time, Xen felt worried.

She looked back at the message and saw a final segment.  _The schism shall begin soon. Better start it with Hellion's demise. Leave him to rot, if you know what I mean. Stay safe, love you. ;)_ Xen smiled at the message and closed it.  _Yes, indeed it is. Now to just find a way to get rid of him. And in case it fails, to remain anonymous._ She began listing all the possible ways she could dispose of Hellion, but none of them seemed adequate or quite her style. Then she caught the look of the one quarian she despised the most, and the one that despised her just as much; Tali'Shepard was here, and was looking straight at her.

"What's wrong Tali?" He said, letting go of her hand as part of the act. This was a place for the scum of all types, not softies like him. Tali lifted her head in a pointed fashion, "Xen. She's on a table looking straight at me." Shepard followed her gaze to the table and sure enough, Daro'Xen vas Moreh was looking straight at her. Tali began to approach the traitorous quarian, and Shepard quickly followed suit. Soon, they stood before Xen's table, her gaze exchanging glances between them. "Daro'Xen. What unfortune you find yourself in. As a military official in the Quarian Republic, I have the jurstiction to arrest you." Tali crossed her arms, and Shepard just glared. Xen smiled and leaned back, "How about you listen to me and then arrest me? I have a proposition you might find interesting."

Tali and Shepard looked at each and back, "Why would we trust you?" Shepard asked. Xen rolled her eyes, "Cause to be factual Captain, you don't have a choice. Your here for Hellion and we both want him dead. I can help you achieve this goal without your precious sex toy getting used." Her insult had been pointed at Tali, but she ignored it. Shepard didn't. He clenched his fist before sitting down, followed by Tali. Forcing herself to continue the act, she sat on Shepard's lap and began kissing his neck. She broke off for a moment and whispered in his ear, "End this quickly." Shepard nodded as Tali buried her face into Shepard's neck. He turned to Xen, who was visibly disgusted. "Spit it out Xen. You said you wanted Hellion dead. Why?" Xen crossed her legs and put both of her hands on her lap before talking, "Alot of changes have happened in Cerberus. Surely you knew their were mulitple cells?" Shepard nodded, not enthusitcally, "Get to the point." Xen ignored this and continued, "Well, like I said, alot has changed. All cells have been dissolved or absorbed. The only cells left are two; Dacius Cell and Putak Cell. Hellion heads Dacius Cell, my life...I mean, Connor...leads Putak." Shepard, now fully interested, asked, "Where does Hawk come into this?" Xen nodded, "Hawk commands both Hellion and Connor. They answer to him. In turn, Hawk answers to the Illusive Man. I am new to Cerberus, so I've been assigned under Connor's command and put in Putak. Hellion refused to have me anyway."

Shepard had also noticed Xen's slip up and smiled. "So...Connor was right. Are you two...together? Don't say no, I noticed your slip up." Xen sighed and laughed halfheartedly, "Yes. Yes, Mrs. Antilove found someone to love. It doesn't matter. Now, like I was saying."  _My relationship with Connor is none of this ape's business. Connor may find him likable, butI don't. Likable. Ugh, such an ugly word._ "Cerberus is ripping itself apart. Dacius and Putak have always been rival cells, and due to them being the most well-funded cells, they were the only ones to survive. Thanks to this, its ripping Cerberus apart. Connor REALLY hates Hellion. Trust me Shepard, Putak isn't like Cerberus at all. Its a military cell, but its not a loyalist faction at all. Not with Connor in command. He's...conflicted. He's not loyal to Cerberus, but he fights for them nonetheless. Something about this Spectre past is haunting him.

Hellion wants Putak gone so that he can become the dominant cell. Connor is Hawk's favourite general, but Hawk has both cells pitted in somekind of 'schism' as Connor calls it. I think Hawk is testing them. He wants to see which cell will come out on top. Which ever one is victorious, becomes his favourite. That cell then becomes the dominant cell and Hellion will become Hawk's successor. Once Hellion is in Hawk's position, he'll use his position to kill the Illusive Man and take over Cerberus. Trust me Shepard, when Hellion does that, he'll have Bellerophon under his fist. I don't have to tell you the reprecussions of this. Getting rid of Hellion will not only seriously cripple Dacius Cell, it will rid of his menace for good." Shepard pondered this, stroking his chin, where a new beard was forming.

"I don't want to be involved in somekind of Cerberus civil war, but if your willing to help me take out Hellion, then I'm all ears." Xen nodded and leaned closer, "He's at Baria Frontiers. He's killed the head manager and taken his place, using Baria Frontiers as a staging base for his operations on Illium. I don't recommend going in guns blazing, he'll have a dozen escape routes planned and ready to use. However, I could take one of you in, pretend I captured you. Get you close enough to him for you to kill him. I can't let Cerberus know I betrayed them, or me and Connor would be executed, so I'll pretend to be oblivious and run off."

Shepard nodded. "I'll go. I'll have my crew ready and on standby. I'll have Tali wait on the Normandy if things get desperate." Xen shook her head, "No, Hellion will never believed that me...a simple ex-Admiral managed to capture the galactic hero. No, I need a prisoner that's believable. A certain quarian." Tali stopped acting and turned to Xen. "John, no. No, no no. We can't trust her. What if she betrays us? I am not dying to her hand!" Shepard shook his head, "I don't know Xen, this is alot to ask from someone who handed us over to Cerberus and sabotaged my peace offer with the geth."

"Do you want Hellion or not? I assure you that Tali will be safe especially since you've got the most advanced hybrid ship and most deadliest team of professionals in the galaxy you have nothing to worry about. So, think about it. Don't keep me waiting though. If it helps you sleep, she can carry an ear mic so you can shout orders at her." Shepard considered this. He was going to have to choose to put the life of his lifemate, the woman he loved so deeply, into the hands of a potentially dangerous traitor. It seemed so easy yet so difficult.  _Is the death of this Cerberus commander worth her sacrifice? No. Should I do it anyway? Yes. Why? Cause if Tali's hurt, I'll simply substitute Xen for Hellion. Or get both."_

"Very well Xen, but your idea better hold up. If you  _dare_ endanger her life, I'll kill you. Got me?" Xen considered this for a second before standing up, "Very well. You have a deal. Now come Tali'Shepard, I do have a prisoner to deliver." She grabbed Tali's arm rather harshly, but Tali didn't complain, she just went along with it. Shepard gave her a reassuring smile, whispering in his dedicated channel, "You see ANYTHING that's wrong, you just give me a shout. I'll be there in seconds. Be careful,  _Saera._  I'll see you soon. Remember, the signal 'no.'"

Tali just nodded as Xen exited the bar, heading for the parking lot.

_What did Oleg say? So it begins._

...

"Your not making this easy girl." Tali had initially squirmed when Xen tried to cuff her, but she eventually gave up and let the woman do it. She felt so helpless without any of her weapons or John nearby. She felt as if she might as well walk around with 'kill me. I'm extremely vulnerable!' written on her chest. They had arrived at Baria Frontiers exactly 7 minutes ago, and so far all they had done that was productive was walk through corridors. When they finally reached Hellion's office, they stepped in and found him flanked by two Phantoms. Hellion, hands behind his back, walked around the desk and headed towards them.

"Xen, you have brought me...this. Who is this?" He stroked Tali's cheek, smiling. Tali didn't move, she just stared straight ahead.  _I dare that bosh'tet to touch me again._ "Let me introduce Tali'Shepard. She tried to kill me, but I defeated her in combat and took her as prisoner. I thought you'd like to keep her as a trophy." Hellion crossed his arms, impressed. "Very good. Have her sent to my room...I want to have some fun with her." Tali eyed Hellion in disgust but smiled, "No." Before Hellion could respond the glass shattered as two shots pinged past and the two phantom's heads were ripped off. Before he could react, Shepard grabbed Tali and pulled her behind cover, with Xen grabbing her shotgun and firing off two shots at him, purposely missing. She then ran outside, Shepard letting her past on purpose. Hellion retaliated with grabbing his assault rifle and firing off potshots.

Unbinding the cuffs, Shepard gave her; her geth plasma shotgun. Nodding they ran into the office and found Hellion gone, and the ceiling vent ripped open. "He's heading for the roof! All teams intercept! Don't let him get away!" Shepard lead Garrus, Ashley and Wrex down the hallway and down towards the stairs, where they rapidly climbed up and onto the roof. Standing at the edge, was a very amused Hellion. Kal's team had him surrounded, Miranda, Jacob and Samara flanking him. Shepard slowed to a walk and stopped next to Kal, who gave him a simple nod. "There's no escape Hellion. Its over."

"You want me for my information on Bellerophon don't you?" Shepard looked at him and shook his head, "I admit, I'm curious has to how he survived the Crucible blast, but thats not important. It will die just like Sovereign did and I just want you dead for what you did to Shala. So does Tali." Tali nodded, her pistol already out and ready. Hellion laughed, "You really don't know who Bellerophon is do you?" Shepard raised a brow. "Of course I do. It's a Reaper." Hellion laughed, "No he really isn't. He is and isn't." Shepard rolled his eyes, "Stop the cryptic crap. Spit out." Hellion smiled, "Lets just say Harbinger isn't the only one. How about in exchange of my life, I tell you everything. Deal?"

A loud gunshot was the only answer. Hellion was hit in the shoulder and spiralled off the building into the streets below. Shepard looked to his side to see Tali, pistol raised. "No deal. That was for Shala you bosh'tet." Tali lowered the pistol, smiling. Shepard wanted to scould her for getting rid of a potential asset, for destroying any chance they had of catching Bellerophon, but he couldn't. In the end, he would have done the same thing.  _The thing he did to Shala was pure cowardice. Cowards don't get to live._ He put a hand on her arm to reassure her that everything was alright. Then he remembered Hellion's words.  _Harbinger wasn't the only one. What did he mean by that?_

It dawned on him that only one species would know the answer. And if he had to guess, Cerberus was after them too. _Desponia 2185. We have to go._ He began walking off as Garrus called after him, "Where are you going? What about Hellion?" Shepard didn't even turn as he spoke. "Get rid of his body, I've got a important meeting with..."

"The Leviathans."

 **Bosh'tet:** Thought by many non-quarians to be the quarian equivalent of "son of a bitch" or "bastard." Surprisingly, it is actually the name of a animal native to Rannoch, similiar to Earth rats. It is a rodent to lives my scavenging, but has a very low intelligence, is quite irritating and lazy. It eats the excrement of other animals, using what's let of it as a home and the undigested bits as sustenance. It will eat any dung, even its own. It will defend its dung pile at any cost, even its own kind, and has been known to fight to the death. Quarians used it as a curse word for people who are being stupid, unresponsive, irritating or fighting for a worthless cause or reason.

"Blessed be the Ancestors who shone light upon our world of Rannoch, its great beautiful savannahs illuminated by these tides of bright light. It is by this that we rise from our homes on the savannah and give blessing to the dawn of the sun, for it has protected us from the predators of the night for many millenia, and may the Ancestors be blessed for watching over us. Keelah Se'lai."

\- Scroll of the Ancestors, 'Dawn of Kaeli'steiz'


	39. Righteous Fury

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celebration over Hellion's death quickly turns into a boarding action.

**TO SURVIVE II:**

**AFTERMATH**

_**Righteous Fury** _

"What!? What do you mean he's not dead!?" Shepard shouted as he heard the report. They had come so close to nailing the bastard and just when they thought he was dead, he turned out to be alive? Garrus sighed, "Exactly what I mean. Hellion's body is missing, it is most likely he's alive and on the run. Don't bother looking for him, he's long gone. We have got Xen's ship on sensors, do we pursue?" Shepard thought through that for a little bit before coming to a conclusion. He hated to admit it, but it was because of Xen that they got this close to Hellion. She could live; for now.

"Let her go. We owe her that much. Next time though will be her last." Garrus nodded and left Shepard's cabin, the door sealing behind him. Shepard sighed as he resisted the temptation to clench his fist and smash it into the desk. Instead, he silently swore to himself. His eyes turned their attention to the picture on their desk. It was of his family, Hannah standing off to the right, smiling while Shala and Garu stood in the middle, smiling. Garrus was on the far left while he and Tali were the middle, his hand around her waist. And for the photo, they did it in a clean room. Shala, Garu and Tali had no suits. Shepard smiled at the picture, "Stay strong Garu, Shala will survive. She's a survivor." He said that as if Garu was actually there, sitting next to him, talking to him. But he wasn't. No, he was in hospital, next to Shala's bed, possibly crying, maybe asleep or quietly weeping.

Shepard sighed and stood up, walking into the lower cabin where he saw the slumbering forms of Tali and Rael. Tali was on the right side of the bed facing left while Rael was in the middle facing Tali and was sleeping next to Tali as if seeking protection. It was extremely cute. Tali didn't deserve to know that Hellion was alive, as it would only piss her off, so he left a soft peck on her forehead and then Rael's before he opened the cabin door and stood into the elevator, pressing Deck 3.  _Time for some lunch._

He waited until the door to the elevator slid open before stepping forward and unto the deck, glancing at the wall where the memorial wall once resided. Shepard continued into the Mess Hall, quickly closing in on Gardner. Gardner glanced up at him and smiled, "I've got your food Admiral, and some of the special nutrient paste for Miss vas Normandy." Joker's voice came over the comms, "I'm not joking Shepard, 'Miss vas Normandy' seriously paints image of Tali in a tiara. Its REALLY creepy." Shepard just chuckled as he took Gardner's preoffering, "Tali's asleep with Rael. I think she'll be up in an hour, that's when her shift starts. I'm starting mine early. Got some rounds to do with the crew." Gardner nodded and smiled as Shepard turned around and approached the mess hall table.  _I'll have Joker set a course for Desponia soon. Should only be a six hour transit._ On the table, he could see James and Samantha having a quiet conversation while Garrus and Liara seemed to be getting some 'alone' time on the opposite table. He decided to not interrupt them, and joined James and Samantha.

"Hey, loco." James stated as Shepard sat opposite them, smiling as he dug into Gardner's latest attempt at good cooking. Shepard already knew what to expect when he took a bite of the concoction. He already wanted to throw up. He forced a smile.

"Your turn, LT." Samantha stated. Shepard looked up and only just noticed that they weren't only talking, but playing with Samantha's chessboard as well. James sighed and moved his pawn up. Shepard smiled.  _That's what I did. And any moment now..._

"Your king looks very vulnerable. I think I'll said my bishop into..." Samantha moved her bishop up, trapping James' king. The look on his face was priceless. "Checkmate." As she said this, she had the biggest 'you lose' face Shepard had ever seen. James made movements with his arms that indicated he was confused. "Admit it, Lieutenant. You lost. Samantha's never lost, not once. Not even against EDI" Gabby said as she lay her food tray next to the heavily built N7, tucking herself in. "I think even the Admiral lost to Samantha..." Shepard shot a glance at Gabby, giving her a playful glare. Samantha took her oppurtunity, "Yes, I believe the legendary Admiral, bane of the reapers, subjugator of the collectors, liberator of Elysium, oh, AND Hero of the Citadel...lost to his specialist. What a shocking defeat." Samantha pretended to be shocked. Shepard shook his head in amusement. He heard laughs in the background. Garrus could be heard, "How are you going to live it down Shepard?"

"By sparring with his mate, I'd bet. Its all he does these days. Or is it mating?" Everyone turned to see Wrex, a huge grin on his face, heading towards them. He sat down next to Shepard, carrying a bottle of ryncol. James eyed the alcohol, a longing in his eyes. Samantha raised a brow, "Yes Admiral, IS that all you do with her? Or do you two actually take a break?" Shepard shrugged his shoulders, "Quarian culture. Its still an enigma to me. Hopefully Tali will help me understand it more but still, if culture dictates it then no, its all I'll do. I'm her lifemate because I want her to be happy, she deserves more than the crap her father gave her. She has no family except me, Shala and Garu, and her real parents are dead. Kal could be considered family too I guess."

Samantha nodded and her response was interrupted by James' asking, "Can I have some?" He had been eying Wrex's ryncol for quite a while now. "Well I...wait, you want this human?" Wrex pointed at the ryncol and when he saw James nod, he laughed, "No, you don't want this. This stuff will tear your insides apart. We krogan have redundant nervous systems, that's the only reason we can drink this stuff. Only other race to have that is the volus, and their not exactly honorbound." Everyone laughed at the sentiment, to Shepard, the Volus were just economical masters, relying on the turians for military support. Still, he had to give it to them. It WAS the volus who developed the galactic financial system and created credits as the galaxy knows them.

Kal took his time to enter the stage, "Krogan weren't the only ones to have honor. 500 years ago, the quarian people had honor unlike any other." Everyone turned to the quarian marine who sat down next to Samantha, waiting for everyone to beg him to continue. "Do tell." James asked. Kal nodded, satisfied. "You think the turians were the dominant military force? You think the krogan were the most feared? You think the asari were always the top dogs in the galaxy? You think the salarians are the best tech experts? Ha! 700 years ago, the Quarian Empire was the top race in the galaxy, it was glorious."

"Did you know that the genophage wasn't a last resort? It was just a way to avoid the REAL last resort. You know who that was?" Everyone smiled and said simultaneously, "The quarians." Kal nodded, "We had, and still do, had the biggest fleet in the galaxy. Back then, it was 80,000 strong, and that was just the military. We had 12 dreadnoughts and..." Shepard was confused by that, "Twelve? Doesn't the treaty of farixen..." Kal held up his hand, "That only applies to the Alliance, Turian Empire, Salarian Union, Asari Republics, Volus Protectorate and the Hanar Primacy. Of course the treaty does count with council races, and we were a council race, but back then the treaty hadn't even been developed, so it was unnessacary. Think about it, we quarians could have made a swift end of the Rachni Wars, the Krogan Rebellions, the Unification War, we could have ended them all. The turians feared us, yes, they feared us. The Perseus Veil was the heart of our dominion, with Rannoch as the brain for it all. Haestrom served as a shipworld as you could call it, as the bulk of our military navy was built around it. On the surface, was where the bulk of our ground force equipment was built. Tanks, APCs, gunships, rapid assault vehicles, weapons, explosives, you name it. We made it."

"Rannoch was...as you know, the heart of this empire. By the creation of the geth, we were already powerful. The geth just made us even more powerful. With them as cannon fodder and additional ground support, we were lethal and deadly. Rannoch had orbital defenses that no ship had penetrated. The turians had once attempted war against us, and the first fleet they sent was decimated. Immediate cease-fire afterward. We may have been indomitable, but we were a peaceful people. We didn't wage war unless it was unavoidable. The geth rebellion was our demise." Kal sighed as he thought of the once great and glorious quarian empire, now nothing but a distant memory.

"Just like the Romans. They rose and became a powerful force to contend with, and then it came crashing all around them." Shepard stated and all humans in the room nodded. Kal looked back up, "But with the geth on our side and Rannoch ours again, maybe we can return to that greatness." Everyone nodded, thinking of the reaction the turians would have if they realized a geth dreadnought accompanied by three quarian dreadnoughts orbited Rannoch.  _Say goodbye to any attempts at taking it._ Shepard smiled at the sentiment.

Shepard finished up his meal and left the plate sitting, ignoring the surrounding banter as he entered deep pensive thought. Kal was playing chess with Samantha, and James was sharing battle stories on Fehl Prime with Wrex and eventually, with Zaeed too. Kasumi arrived not to late to play around and poke fun with Lana, which didn't end well when she discovered the quarian female's knack kicking legs. Shepard ignored all of this. Tali's shift had started 20 minutes ago, roughly, and this was further proven by the 'urgent' call Gabby got. She was most likely hard at work already and Rael was doing god knows what.

_Harbinger wasn't the only one. What did Hellion mean by that? The Leviathans must have the answers. Great, more 'temporary' indoctrination crap like they did last time. I bet this time Tali's going to force me to let her go too. Same with Garrus. I guess I can just get them to surface since they don't have to hide anymore. Harbinger wasn't the only one. Maybe he's referring to Bellerophon? What is it about Bellerophon that makes Harbinger not the only one? Damn it, that makes no sense either! What relates Bellerophon to Harbinger? To many questions, not enough answers damn it!_

Shepard gave up as he prepared to stand up.

_And Hellion survives. What am I meant to tell Tali? And Garu! He'll be fucking pissed that the slippery nutjob isn't dead! And Tali will crack the shits! How is Hellion even alive? A shot like that should have killed him and if not that, the fall was high enough. What was that bastard's saving grace?_

Eventually, Shepard just stood up to return to his pilot. This changed when the ship shook violently and he fell back into his seat. Alarms blared immediately afterward. It wasn't long before loud garbage noise flooded their comms and everyone screamed in pain. "Shut off your omnitools! DO IT!" Shepard shouted as he threw his omnitool away. Everyone followed suit, the static disappearing. He activated his main comm and entered the senior comms, a comm reserved for senior personnel such as Joker, Tali, Garrus, Dr. Chakwas, Kal'Reegar and James. "Flight Lieutenant report."

"Joker here. Everything's on. Massive EMP. But were holding, no major damage. No hull breaches."

"Chief Engineer and XO, report."

"I'm here John, drive core is offline, it got knocked out by some kind of EMP. Gabby, Ken and I are trying our best to get it back online but nothing's working! We'll have to wait it out!"

He went through all the senior personnel before ordering battlestations. He nodded to the group, and they rushed like maddogs. James, Kal, Garrus and Wrex followed him to the Armoury while everyone else scrambled for their readiness stations.

"Generals quarters, generals quarters. All hands, man your battlestations. This is not a drill, I repeat this is not a drill. We are under attack. Kursk-class Cerberus frigate, designate CV-613 is attacking with high-density rounds. No hull breaches but the ship is maneveuring for boarding. All personnel report to action stations, I repeat, this is not a drill. Prepare to defend the ship. Fireteams Sierra, Charlie and Wolfpack, prepare to repel boarders." Joker's voice stopped as the elevator doors opened. Four quarian marines poured out of the armoury, weapons in their grasp, heading for the airlock. They stopped immediately. "Sir! Fireteam Charlie ready for repositioning sir! Where do you want us?"

Shepard nodded at the airlock, "As you were. Take positions at the airlock, triangle formation. Be prepared to flank boarders. I want a clean operation, do not under any circumstances allow them onto the bridge. I don't care what means you use, just keep them the hell off my ship!" The marines nodded and turned back, rushing towards the airlock. Shepard keyed his comm, "Joker, status on that Cerberus ship."

"ETA to boarding, 30 seconds. Better brace yourself." Shepard entered the Armoury just as the ship rocked violently again, darkness plaguing the ship. What felt like seconds later, emergency red lighting flooded the ship. He reentered the armoury, directing security personnel to action stations all over the ship before finally recovering his weapon. Tali already had her shotgun, for whatever ghastly reason, so he didn't need to worry about her. He keyed his comm, "Tali, seal engineering. Don't let anyone in there."

"No John, I'm going up to our cabin to protect Rael." Tali responded.

"Okay, just...seal engineering first and then seal the cabin once your there. Please for the love of god keep yourself and Rael safe." Shepard said, geniunely worried. He knew Tali could look after herself, but it didn't mean Rael could. "I will, I promise. I love you." Shepard nodded, "I love you too, Shepard out." With that, he yanked his reegar carbine shotgun off the bench and wrenched the ammuniciation locker open. He began passing thermal clips to everyone in the room, and then inserted one into his shotgun, and a few into his shirt. He realized too late that he had no armor.  _Shit, going to have to keep it low._ "Got no armor." He then looked at the corner of the room and noticed the one thing that was closest to armor.  _Oh damn baby._  He was going to wear that stuff.

...

"Come on you fucking idiots, stop rubbing your pussies and get out there now! Yeah, boys get a turn next! Move you quarian speed humps!" Zaeed shouted his commands like a drone, with quarians and geth of every gender running around frantically getting to their action stations. The Shuttle Bay was crowded with the crew members, all of them trying to bring power back to different sections of the ship.

...

"Come on you bosh'tet! Work!" Tali slammed the elevator controls once again and, like before, they didn't respond. The elevator simply wasn't operational. This called for desperate measures. She forcefully reopened the port door and ran towards the maintenance ladder located in her office. She shouted at Ken and Gabby to be safe before climbing up the ladder. The darkness was perturbing and crawling through vents just wasn't fun, especially with EDI poking fun at her, but it got her to the cabin, so she didn't care. The vent ended outside the cabin airlock and when the sequence was finally over, she stepped in to see Rael running frantically around, obviously awoken by the shaking of the ship.

"Rael, you have to do exactly as mummy says okay?" Rael stopped and ran up to his mother, looking her in the eyes. "Where's daddy?" Tali sighed and put her hands on Rael's shoulders, "Daddy has to deal with some very bad people. People who want to kill us. But daddy will kill them, he will protect us. Okay? And I will protect you. You must never leave this room, understand?" Rael nodded his response and Tali picked him up, but not before locking the door, lying him on the bed before laying beside him. They looked up at the ceiling, Rael's constant questions being answered by Tali in sync.

She could hear gunfire down below, but she ignored it. John would protect them, he was unstoppable. She noticed his armor still lay under his desk. She gulped,  _I hope._

...

"Uh, where's Shepard?" Garrus asked the bemused quarian male. There was something strangely odd about this guy, he just didn't look right. The quarian rolled his eyes, "I am Shepard you idiot!" To prove it, the quarian raised his hand, showing two fingers poking out of both gloves on the suit. Garrus laughed lightly, "What are you doing? Don't tell me Tali expects you to wear that suit now, does she? Is it a quarian thing?" Shepard shook his head, "Armor was left in my cabin, which is now under lock and key, so I had to make do."

"It looks pretty uncomfortable." Garrus was right, this suit was really getting on Shepard's nerves. He wondered how the quarians did it. "Its actually pretty snug." Shepard lied, which Garrus easily saw through, indicating this with his crossed arms and raised brow. Shepard gave up and sighed, "Fine! Yes, its uncomfortable! But we don't have many..."

"Saera!" One quarian from Fireteam Charlie shouted. Garrus, Shepard and James turned to look at the new commotion going on and saw a quarian male from Charlie dragging a quarian woman and based upon what he just shouted, his lifemate, across the deckplates and towards him, blood oozing out of a wound on her shoulder. "I'm fine  _inszel._ I'm fine! Its just a shoulder wound!" Shepard sighed. He wanted to back up the woman, tell the man that it was a minor wound, but he realized just then, that had that woman been Tali, he would have done the exact same thing; get her out of harms way. With only two marines guarding the door and Karin dealing with the wounded woman, Shepard lead Garrus and James up the stairs to defend the door. With renewed confidence at the sight of their reinforcements, the last two quarians of Charlie reentered the battle, taking down a assault trooper in their combined barrage.

Once the airlock and the Cerberus soldiers in it were visible, Shepard let loose with his carbine while James fired every round of his scimitar into the enemy he had. Shepard's shotgun tore through the enemy ranks, laying waste to the numerous assault troopers and centurions. This victory was short when two guardians entered the fray, their shields blocking all shots. "Shit, Guardians! Fall back, prepare flanking positions!" He shouted over the comms before retreating backward. "No need Shepard."

Shepard turned to see Samara storming past, her body illuminated in biotic light. She entered the airlock and used a full biotic shockwave to send the guardian's shields flying, before they were finished by two pistol shots to the head by Fireteam Charlie. Samara smiled, turning to Shepard. "Like I said, Shepard. No..."

Before she could finish, two gas canisters impacted the wall rolled in, releasing their chemicals. Shepard turned off his olfactory filters to keep the gas out, but he was too late, and he fell to the ground coughing. Samara, Garrus and James quickly succumbed to the gas and fell unconcious, and Shepard soon followed as he witnessed Cerberus soldiers running in. He barked one last order, "Get...the...guns back...online." After that, everything went black.

...

Hellion smiled as he passed the unconscious forms of a N7 soldier, a turian sniper, an asari justicar, and three quarian males. No wait, a human in a quarian male suit. He realized it must be Shepard.  _Quarian sympathizer._ He had only one goal on this ship, and he would acquire it. He signalled two teams to split up and secure the Armoury and War Rooms, before he marched with his third team through the CIC and into the elevator. Placing a backup generator, they gave small amounts of power to the elevator, making it as slow as the SR-2's. Hellion simply didn't care, he would make the quarian bitch pay for what she did. And Xen, he had a strange feeling she had been a part of this.

Finally, the elevator stopped on Deck One. They didn't wait for the door to fully open before bursting in. His troops took positions on each side of the door but as soon as Hellion saw that the haptic interface was missing, he knew this would be difficult. He eyed the door, as if his very presence would force it to open. Eventually, he raised his hand, "Engineer, get this door open. You three, take this side, the rest of you, take point. Pop the gas. We want the target alive." The engineer nodded, bringing up his omnitool as he stopped in front of the door, beginning his hack. His men took their instructed positions and within no time, they were in position to storm the cabin. Hellion equipped his Cerberus Harrier, and levelled it at the door, asking god to guide his weapon's shots.

"Sir, someone inside is countering my hack. Its not working..." All of a sudden, the engineer's omnitool exploded, sending the engineer spiralling into the backwall, his body crumbling back down into a mangled heap of flesh, seared and blackened by the heat of the overloaded omnitool. Hellion checked for a pulse and expectedly found none. He turned on his comm, "I need my best engineer on this, now. Bring Xen." Hearing the response, he turned it off and nodded at his men to be ready.

Behind the door, Tali finished fiddling with her omnitool. "When it comes to engineering and tech, noone beats a quarian." Hellion had heard her words, and smiled. The airlock was anything but soundproof.  _Except another quarian._

...

Zaeed nodded, satisfied that everyone of the crew was at their stations. Grunt and Jacob stood behind him, nodding as he turned for the elevator. They followed suit but it wasn't long before Samara's voiced crackled through his radio, "Zaeed, Samara here. By the goddess may you hear this." Zaeed nodded, "I hear you loud and clear. What does this guddamn mercenary need to do now?" Samara nodded her acceptance of Zaeed's impatience, "Cerberus forces have breached Normandy CIC. Used a nerve gas, some of the quarians, Garrus, James and Shepard are still unconscious. Tali and Rael are locked in their cabin and Cerberus is gone. I see a few of their teams working through the Armoury and War Room. I shall deal with them. Better be careful, I noticed a few entering the bridge and heading for the Shuttle Bay as I regained consciousness. Shepard and the others were moved into the Armoury. I shall attempt to recover them. Be careful, Samara out."

Zaeed nodded and motioned for Grunt and Jacob to follow him, signalling his comms as he walked towards the elevator. "Miri, Kasumi and Mitchell. Get your sorry asses to the elevator, wherever you are. We'll meet you...are you even picking this up?" Obviously not, as they didn't respond. Zaeed shook his head in irritation, but stopped moving as he heard the elevator stop. He looked up and reached up to bring his assault rifle to bear. As he gripped the handle, the door opened and 5 assault troopers and 2 guardians poured in, the guardians leading the way. "Shit, more Cerberus rookies. Lets..." He couldn't stop Grunt from charging forward. Grunt hit the right guardian like a freight train, the sheer krogan's weight crushing the poor bastard.

Jacob used his biotics to relieve the second guardian of his shield, finishing him off with a quick shotgun blast. With his AR finally equipped, Zaeed charged at the assault troopers, weapon pelting into the enemy. The barrage caused two assault troopers to collapse, dead, while the other three absorbed his shots and ran straight at him. Before they could use their shock batons however, as they had been that close, all three of their heads exploded, their corpses coming to rest next to him. He looked up to where the shot came from, and found himself looking down the scope of a Raptor sniper rifle wielded by none other than Mitchell.  _Okay, definitely no rookie._ Mitchell chuckled as he reloaded his raptor, Miranda and Kasumi running alongside Mitchell, making sure no more hostiles threatened them.

Miranda saddled her weapon, as did Kasumi, but Mitchell approached Zaeed with a huge grin and his sniper rifle in lower parry. He stopped in front of the seasoned mercenary, and began to speak, "That's now you, Grunt and Jacob accounted for. That leaves Tali, Rael, Garrus, Shepard, Samara, James, Samantha, Gabby, Ken, Jack, Voz, Joker, EDI, Adams, Kal, Lana, Liara, Gardner, Dr. Chakwas, Ashley and Wrex."

"Samara reported in just a minute ago, said Cerberus had taken the CIC. She was going to help them out. Joker, EDI and Voz were on the bridge, which is on the CIC, which is...yeah, obviously." Mitchell nodded in understanding. Zaeed continued, "Shepard, Garrus and James were knocked out by nerve agent and were moved to the Armoury. Samara's going to help them now. Tali has sealed the cabin to protect Rael so they are accounted for. Gabby, Adams and Ken are locked up in engineering. The others are a complete mystery to me." Mitchell nodded, "My best bet is that Javik is in the Cargo Bay still. Kal and Lana were meant to be in the Armoury getting their things ready, so maybe Cerberust took them prisoner. The others...I don't know."

"Well they ain't going to get rescued by us just standing here. Lets go get those poor bastards." Nodding, the six of them lock and loaded before entering the elevator. Realizing the ship had been EMP'd, they took the maintenance ladder instead.

_First up, Hangar._

...

Samara wasted no time in approaching the Armoury. The door wasn't locked, so sneaking in undetected was her only concern. From what she saw a matter of fact, the door was wide open and she had a clean view of inside. One still confused her.  _Why take the others but not me?_ She shook the question from her mind and continued to approach the Armoury. She balled up her fists, preparing to unleash biotic fury. First however, no matter how doubtful she was, she would give the enemy the benefit of the doubt.

She took position on the left side of the door, peaking her head around the corner to see what the Cerberus boarders were doing. The first thing she saw was the limp but breathing bodies of Garrus, James and Shepard stuffed into the corner of the room with the familiar forms of Kal and Lana at the end. Lana had ever hands tied up to the weapons bench and she was hissing and growling. Turning her head, she saw why. Kal had stood up to the Cerberus boarders, and was now being beaten to death because of it.  _Forget the benefit of the doubt. I shall end these scum._ As if directly programmed by her Code, she ran forward to save Kal.

"Stupid quarian filth, how dare..." The cerberus torturer did not get to finish as Samara through him into a wall. Following up her attack, Samara grabbed two other soldiers in a biotic field and threw them into a centurion. Using their stunned stance as her moment, she peppered them with shots before finishing off the final soldier with a biotic strike to the face, the soldier's face yanked backwards awkwardly. Using her biotics again, she destroyed Lana's cuffs, helping her up. This was unnessacary as Lana sprung up and embraced Kal, making sure he was okay. "Sergeant Reegar, are you hurt?" Samara asked Kal. He looked beaten and his mask showed signs of a single crack developing. Kal shook his head, "Nothing I can't walk off. We need to get Cerberus off our ship, I'll get some weapons and we'll get to it." Even after Lana's continuous objections, Kal refused to sit down and wait. Giving in, Lana grabbed a weapon as well, ready to fight.

"Shit, what happened? Why are we in the Armoury?" Samara turned to the source of the voice, finding Shepard holding his head while Garrus and James groaned their awakening. Samara walked forward and kneeled next to the bewildered Admiral. "Cerberus brought you here and imprisoned Kal and Lana. I was not among them but we are in trouble. Cerberus reinforcements arrived and the bridge, War Room and Armoury were taken. They are sweeping through the ship." Shepard sat up, "If the Armoury was taken then why..." he stopped as his eyes landed on the dead Cerberus bodies. He nodded his head, "Right..."

Shepard stood up, helping James and Garrus do the same. He turned to Samara, "Right. We need to get rid of that frigate and purge the ship of enemy forces. Any one else like you who weren't knocked out?" Samara nodded, "I managed to contact Zaeed. He is awake and moving, however I don't know about anyone else. According to Zaeed's IFF, he was in a team of two, a krogan and human. So either Grunt, Wrex, Miranda, Jacob, Jack, Mitchell, Kasumi or Ashley. Tali and Rael are in your cabin, their current status is unknown." This got Shepard's attention and he accessed his comm, "Tali! Tali, its John! Talk to me please!" He waited a few seconds before hearing the soft voice that he always found reassuring. "I'm here John, I'm fine, Rael's fine. I've currently got a Cerberus team outside the door, and I foiled their last hacking attempt. Noone is getting through, don't worry. I promise I'll be safe. Just...save the rest of the ship. And be careful, Hellion's alive. He's right outside the door. Tali out."

Shepard got goosebumps at the mention of Hellion's name. "Okay, Samara, Kal and Lana. You assault the War Room and retake it. James, Garrus, your with me. Were retaking the bridge. Everyone clear?" They all nodded and Shepard picked up his confiscated weapons, as did his team, before he ran out the door, Samara, Kal and Lana following only to break off and head for the War Room. Shepard ran forward, motioning for Garrus and James to protect his flank incase Hellion got impatient.  _How did that bastard get a frigate and escape? Enigmatic asshole._

He ran through the flight deck before finally arriving outside the bridge. With Garrus levelling his sniper rifle at the door and James taking position on the opposite side of the door Shepard was on, which was left, he opened the door. Joker's voice flooded outside the door, "Look asshole, this is my ship and its not ending up like a SR-2..." The cerberus soldier silenced him verbally, "Who opened the door..." He saw Garrus too late and a bullet welcomed itself into his cranium. Shepard and James moved in side by side and emptied round after round into the Cerberus forces. Surprised by the fact that only three soldiers protected the bridge, they holstered their weapons as Joker and EDI turned to face them. "Shit, good timing. Couldn't tell, but I bet those soldiers were...whoa, what's with the quarian suit?"

Shepard shook his head, "Nevermind. Can you get the power back on?" Joker shook his head, "Everything's fried. Only way to restore power...oh wait, there isn't one." Joker shrugged his arms in defeat. Voz decided to speak up, "Actually, we could steal energy from the Cerberus frigate." All eyes turned to Voz. "How do we do that?" Joker asked, actually interested. EDI answered, "I believe Voz intends to use our drive core as a way to achieve that goal. We flood a virus into the Cerberus frigate, that virus being mine, and that virus will suck the energy out of the enemy frigate and transfer it into the drive core. That should have us back on full power. However, I need Chief Engineer Shepard to initiate the upload." Shepard nodded, "I'll go retrieve Tali and eliminate Hellion and his troops. Once were free, destroy that frigate."

Joker gave him a salute before Shepard ran off the bridge, heading for the elevator. As he did he saw his archenemy, Tali's archenemy, the quarian people's archenemy, standing on the elevator as its doors closed. Xen. He ran forward, but he didn't make it five meters before the door closed and the elevator began its ascent or descent. He slammed his fist into the elevator door. His mood lightened as he saw the War Room door open and a Cerberus soldier slam into the ground in the CIC, dead, body showing remnants of biotic energy. He watched as Samara stepped out, followed by Kal and Lana, weapons raised. It wasn't long before Samantha followed behind them, unarmed.

Hearing the sound of smashed metal, Samara turned to the elevator and saw Shepard looking directly at them. She smiled as she approached the Admiral, Kal, Lana and Samantha following close behind. "Shepard, we have retaken the War Room." Shepard nodded solemnly and right there and then, Samara realized something was wrong. "Shepard, what's wrong?" Shepard looked up at her, "Xen. She's heading up to my cabin. Tali won't be able to hold off her hacking attempts. She'll..." Samara nodded, understanding the situation. "Then you must make due haste. We will attempt to link up with Zaeed on the lower decks."

Shepard nodded and accessed a maintenance ladder but not before turning. "I need one of you to stay and protect the bridge." He already knew Kal and Lana were out of the equation, they were inseperable. "I'll stay Shepard. James can go with Samara." Garrus stated, rushing back to the bridge. With that decided, Shepard began climbing the ladder.

_I'm coming Tali. Just hold on._

...

Zaeed smiled down at his victim, "Any last words Cerberus scum? I'm ready to wipe the floors with you." The female Cerberus soldier looked unfazed, but inside, she was shit scared of this infamous mercenary veteran. She had heard what he did to Vido, it had been monstrous. But she sat there, being defiant, and hopefully Hellion would see her audacity as a valuable asset and help her out. She knew this was desperate optimism at best, but she had to try. Desperate optimism is better than factual realism.

The soldier spat on his shoe and Zaeed simply glanced at the saliva. He looked back up, levelling his rifle. "Whatever." He pulled the trigger and the cerberus corpse fell to the ground. The Hangar had been a mess, and now they had just finished with Engineering. Javik had indeed been in the Cargo Bay, as had Jack, so that left only a tiny amount of crew members left to find. He turned to find Jack finishing off another Cerberus soldier before he called the rest of the squad to rally on him.

"Okay people, that's engineering cleared out. That leaves just the Crew Deck. Hopefully Samara has CIC secured. Once done, we'll take the fight to that frigate. Gut the bastards!" Zaeed added a growl to that last word for emphasis. Jack and Grunt growled back in agreement, while everyone else just watched and rolled their eyes. Javik stood as stoic as ever. Just then, Kal's voice entered his comm, "This is  _fisk'topt_ Kal'Reegar, does anyone read?" Zaeed keyed his comm, "Zaeed here. What is it Kal? Where are you?"

"CIC, just entered the maintenance vents are headed to the Crew Deck. CIC has been retaken. Me, Lana and Samantha helped retake the Armoury and War Room, Shepard, Garrus and James are awake and retook the Bridge. Garrus is on the bridge, James with us and Shepard headed up to his cabin to rescue Tali. Were headed to you." Zaeed nodded, "Acknowledged, fisktoop or whatever your called, were down on Engineering. Just finished mopping up down here. Heading up to Crew Deck now. Meet you there, Zaeed out." Kal didn't answer as he disconnected. Signalling the team, Zaeed entered the next maintenance ladder and waited for the others to follow. Grunt went last, as his hulk would crush anyone if he fell. This way he'd only hurt himself.

Once at the top he looked through to see the white ass of a Cerberus soldier.  _Just what I want to see._ Lifting the vent open silently, he got out his knife and dragged the soldier into the vent, silencing him with a knife to the jugular. Throwing the body down the vent, he acted quickly and equipped his rifle, quickly gunning down a suspicious soldier nearby. Without hesitation, he signalled for Javik to rush up and take down the other guard. Javik did this with absolute ease.  _I'm really starting to like bug boy._ With that, he slid past the killer Prothean and open the haptic interface.  _Okay, so we were in Life Support. So that means..._

He heard banging and looked up to see Samara's head poking out of the ceiling. She fell down on both feet, followed by Samantha, Kal, Lana and James. James turned to Samara, "There they are." Samara turned to Zaeed and nodded, "We must reacquire the Crew Deck. The Mess Hall appears the most heavily guarded." Zaeed nodded, loading his weapon.

"Then what the fuck are we waiting for, lets kick they're ass."

...

Shepard climbed the ladder until he was fully at the stop. Peeking through the vent he saw Cerberus troops and Hellion protecting Xen, who seemed to be trying the hack the door, but Tali was impeading her attempts.  _Good. Now to knock two birds out with one stone._ He kicked the vent open and with his weapon raised ran forward. However, as he pulled the trigger on Hellion's head, he felt the weapon knocked out of his hands and himself on the ground, Hellion ontop of him. The man gave a smug and cruel smile.

"Confiscate his weapon, I think we've found our ticket in. Xen, cease your attempts. We've found our key." Shepard felt himself picked up by Hellion and yanked towards the door, too which Xen swiftly moved out of the way. Hellion gave a dirty smile as he stopped Shepard at the door, "Tell her to open it, now." Shepard felt a gun push into the back of his head. "Fuck you" is all he could say to the Cerberus general. "Now." Shepard scoffed, "I said fuck you."

Hellion sighed and began shouting, "Open the door Tali'Shepard, I have your lifemate at gunpoint. Open the door and he won't be harmed." Shepard didn't hesitate in yelling as well, "Don't let him in! Forget about me! Protect Rael!" He heard the sounds of Rael crying as Tali tried to reassure him. Hellion's smile grew, "You've got 30 seconds...1...2..."

"Tali don't! Please  _Saera!_ Don't open that fucking door!" His words fell on deaf ears as the door slid open and Tali came out shotgun raised. She found Hellion, gun to Shepard's head. He edged closer, "Good girl." Tali began backing off, but her shotgun stayed levelled. Rael held onto her leg, tears rolling down his face as he watched his father pulled down the steps. Hellion took a moment to admire the cabin, "Very nice. Oh look, a family picture, how sweet." He picked up the picture of Tali, but he heard a plasma shot impact next to him. He saw Tali's shotgun, fumes pouring from it. Hellion chuckled, and Tali let out a sigh of relief when she saw he hadn't pulled the trigger.

"You're very pretty, you know that?" He asked, talking to Tali. Tali's face contorted in anger, her arms resisting the urge to reach out and strangle the bastard.  _Keep it together._ Hellion looked at Shepard, "Worried about him? No, we won't hurt him unless you do something foolish." Tali was curious now, her fear misplaced, "What do you want?" Hellion rolled his eyes, "This isn't about what I want, this about what we need. Cerberus makes good with Bellerophon. It won't be long before Illium and Omega fall into our hands and Aria lies dead. When were done with that, we shall attack and destroy the heart of the Reaper's fear. Once gone, the Reapers shall fear nothing and return. Bellerophon shall be they're catalyst."

"Earth. You want to attack Earth, you son-of-a-bitch." Shepard grumbled as he struggled against Hellion, but his grip was powerful. Hellion chuckled, "Maybe." Shepard winced.  _Maybe. Who else would the Reapers possibly fear? The salarians are weak, the asari left decimated, the turians obliderated, the batarians exhausted and the quarians and geth rebuilding. Who else could possibly threaten them?_ With that, Hellion sighed, "This is the exact reason why..." Hellion's head motioned to behind Tali but before she could react, Xen leapt out and yanked the shotgun out of her hand and pointed it at her. Tali just looked at her with a death stare saying 'I will kill you.'

...we must kill you. You would stop all these plans, you would stop us from controlling the Reapers. For this, you must die." Shepard shook his head in disgust, "You sound like Saren. He said the exact same thing on Virmire." Hellion nodded in agreement, "Maybe he and I share...mutual understanding." Shepard winced once again at that. Tali pleaded, "Please, take whatever you want, just let him go. Please." Tali's eyes were full of sadness and Shepard tried to look strong for her, but he was ultimately failing. Hellion shook his head, "You don't seem to understand. He is part of it. But I guess I can settle for the other three quarters..."

Without a second thought, Shepard felt everything go blurry as he fell to the ground, his head throbbing with pain. Tali quickly joined him on the ground, a lump on her forehead. All he heard was Hellion's words, "Grab him and let's go."

...

"That's all of them. How's it going on your end?" James asked the grizzled mercenary who looked like he had just stormed the medical bay as if it was a fortress. The bounty hunter's voice answered quite quickly, "The fucking jackpot. Rest of the crew were hiding in the Medbay. Dr. Chakwas is here too. Everything is secured. Were heading up to Shepard's cabin to give him a hand." James nodded, not that Zaeed could see it, "Same here. All hostiles neatralized. Were heading into the maintenance shaft now. Meet you there, Vega out."

With that, the Lieutenant signalled Samara, Kal and Lana to follow him into the nearby shaft, and with Kal being the last one in, they began their ascent. Passing CIC, they finally reached the outdoor entrance to the Shepard cabin and broke open the vent, jumping in. When James stood up, he found all Cerberus soldiers gone. "What the...?"

"Lieutenant, look! Oh keelah." James turned to where Lana pointed at found the cabin door wide open. That wasn't what Lana was pointing out though. It was the forms of Shepard and Tali on the floor that caught her attention. "Oh shit! Admiral, XO!" James ran forward, holstering his shotgun and rolling Shepard onto his back, while Lana did the same with Tali. It wasn't long before Samara and Kal joined them. Shepard smiled and accepted James' hand up. James just had to ask now, "How did Cerberus get in and how did you end up like this?" Shepard shook his head, "I...I got caught and they used me as a tool to get Tali to open the door. Bellerophon..." He grabbed James' shoulder, "Now we MUST stop Bellerophon. Cerberus is planning to invade Illium and Omega and once done with them he plans on...assaulting Earth. They won't stand a chance!" James nodded in agreement. "What strategic value do Omega and Illium hold though?"

Kal stepped in, "Omega's an easy one. Taking Omega would give them a place to refuel their ships, get a resupply and would also provide a key area in building warships and stocking up on munitions. Also provides protection for a supply chain. As for Illium, that place is huge. They might be able to use the civilian population as leverage to force Council forces into surrender, or they might just be using it for the same purpose as Omega; place to store and house a small to large ground army or a place to drydock some of they're fleets, and then use it to stock weapons, munitions, ammuniciation, ships, soldiers, armoured vehicles and more. Sounds like Cerberus is planning for full-scale war. And if they take out Earth...that means the Systems Alliance will be crippled."

Shepard nodded, "Their starting with the weakest of the races and moving on. Earth was hit second, though...why not hit Khar'Shan, the batarians were the hardest hit." Kal's shrugging of shoulders was his only response. Tali's voice shook him out of his dilemma, "John! Where is he!" Shepard looked around the room and instantly knew who she was talkling about.  _I guess I can settle for the other three quarters...oh god no._

"They boarded the Normandy for him! They've got Rael!"

...

Hellion walked across the CIC, and watched in annoyance as one of his soldiers tried to keep the hybrid child restrained. The kid was a force of nature and had already broken one of Hellion's fingers. The thing was a menace and deserved the title 'Hellion' more than he did himself. They crossed the flight deck just as the turian sniper stepped off the bridge. The turian saw Rael and raised his rifle. Without even thinking about it, Xen unleashed a overload on his shields and pumped a shot into the turian's leg. The turian reeled in pain, and fell to the ground, trying to reach is assault rifle. Xen simply kicked it away before kicking the turian in the face. Hellion then heard Shepard's voice shout, "HELLION!"

Hellion admired the quarian ex-Admiral's audacity and felt that Connor was indeed a lucky bastard. He stepped left and made sure everyone was onboard the frigate before he entered and closed the airlock. He felt the ship shudder as it disengaged the docking clamps. Hellion smiled as he approached the bridge.

...

Shepard yanked the elevator ceiling vent open and landed on the elevator floor. He looked up to see Hellion and his men, followed closely by Xen, who had just overloaded Garrus' shields and shot him in the leg, following with a kick to the face. Shepard could not hold back his anger anymore, "HELLION! RAEL!" Tali joined his side, followed by the others but he didn't wait. Hellion didn't even glance at him. He ran forward, leaping over the galaxy map control interface and towards the bridge. He sprinted through the flight deck and without even acknowledging Garrus, he smashed his fist into the closing airlock. His fist ringed with pain, but he ignored it. He was pissed, REALLY pissed. At that second, power was restored to the ship. That meant one thing, the frigate had disengaged.

Still ignoring Garrus, he stormed into the bridge only to hear Joker shouting, "The frigate just disengaged, its breaking off. Power is back up. EDI, prepare the Thanix. Admiral wants that frigate gone." Shepard ran up to him and held a hand to Joker's shoulder, forcing the pilot around. "EDI belay that order. Do not fire, Rael's on that ship!" EDI immediately shut down the Thanix and Joker just looked at him wide eyed. Shepard pointed to the frigate's engines as it flew off, "Target the engines. Isolated bursts." Joker complied but by that time, the ship disappeared completely.  _Geth Hunter cloak!? But how..._

Hellion's voice appeared on the comms, "Thank you for the cloak Shepard, and thank you more for this little child. I will look after him, I assure you that. Follow us if you must, but doing so will result in his death." Shepard was angry. But he knew that Rael's life was in jeopardy if he didn't secede to this asshole's commands. "Joker...belay that...order. Stand down." Hellion laughed, "Good man." Shepard pointed a finger at the comm, "If you so much as lay a finger on my son, I will rip you limb for limb you fucking cunt. DO YOU HEAR ME!?" Hellion didn't even respond as he disconnected the comm. "FUCKKKK!" Shepard shouted as he looked at the screen. Joker seemed weary eyed as Garrus limped into the room, "What now Admiral?" Shepard was exhausted and the last thing he wanted was this. He just wanted to collapse into Tali's arms and cry the night away, but he knew that wouldn't make Rael safe. The only way to save Rael now, was to continue the mission. "Reset course to Desponia 2185. The Leviathans better have those fucking answers." Joker nodded slowly as he signalled Voz and EDI to continue en route to Desponia.

Shepard stormed out of the bridge to get his armor ready, the quarian male suit he was wearing didn't help either.  _I shall find you Hellion. And you shall end up like Dav, like Vido, like all those other assholes who fucked with me. I shall rip your fucking balls off, force you to eat them and then I shall kick Hawk out a fucking airlock and watch as the Normandy's gatlings rip him to pieces. Then finally, I shall rip the Illusive Man's eyes out and shove them up his ass._

_Oh, they fucked with the wrong Shepard today._

_No more mister nice guy, no, playtime is OVER._

_Let the Renegade Shepard be released._

**Saera:** Term used when speaking to ones lifemate. Literal translation: My souls soul. Other meanings include, but are not limited to: Keeper of my soul and My souls protector. Most commonly used word throughout the fleet by a quarian when speaking privately to their lifemate. Though unconfirmed by any quarian, there are implications that this word holds extreme intimacy as well as absolute trust. No single human word or phrase encompassed all that this one short word implies as it appears to contain both dominance and submissive traits.

 **Bosh'tet:** Thought by many non-quarians to be the quarian equivalent of "son of a bitch" or "bastard." Surprisingly, it is actually the name of a animal native to Rannoch, similiar to Earth rats. It is a rodent to lives my scavenging, but has a very low intelligence, is quite irritating and lazy. It eats the excrement of other animals, using what's let of it as a home and the undigested bits as sustenance. It will eat any dung, even its own. It will defend its dung pile at any cost, even its own kind, and has been known to fight to the death. Quarians used it as a curse word for people who are being stupid, unresponsive, irritating or fighting for a worthless cause or reason.

 **Inszel:** Term of status or standing within a social circle. Literal translation: Most trusted confidant and partner. Used to describe the personal relationship of an individual. Implies a deep personal connection. Humans would say girlfriend or boyfriend but these only touch the surface of what it truly means.

 **Fisk'topt:** Term of rank in the quarian military. Literal Translation: Guarder. The rank is equivalent of that to a Platoon Leader (aka a Second or First Lieutenant in the UNAS (United North American States)). Quarians hold this rank in high esteem, as it is a symbol that you are embarking upon the higher ranks and most lieutenants in the fleet become branded as 'warheros'.

"Stand fast, Stand strong, Stand together."

\- Steven Hackett


	40. Only the Harvest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shepard and Tali interrogate the Leviathans about Bellerophon. Hellion presents his prize to the Illusive Man.

**TO SURVIVE II:**

**AFTERMATH**

_**Only The Harvest** _

Hellion sat quietly on the bridge of his frigate as it closed in on the Behemoth's docking bay. He heard Connor's voice through the comm, "Cerberus frigate CV-613, this is Behemoth docking control. Please confirm identification, how copy?" Hellion sighed for a moment before responding, "This is This is Zeta Delta Niner, codename 'Hellion', Dacius Cell, requesting permission to dock. We have captured highpri target and need a wide birth, over." The man on the other end nodded, "Roger that, proceed to docking cradle 10-1, Hawk and his men shall be waiting for you. The Illusive Man wishes to speak with you." Hellion nods once again, even though the operator can't see it, "Wilco, Hellion out." With that he motioned to his navigator to plot a course for the assigned coordinates. A waypoint appeared on screen, indicating the cradle.

It wasn't long before he heard the docking clamps connect with the frigate's hull. He stood up, looking at one of the bridge's guards, "Go fetch the boy. Meet me at the exterior airlock. Bring him unarmed, he's precious cargo." The soldier nodded, saluted and ran out. With that over and done, Hellion stepped out of the bridge, through the airlock and out onto the Behemoth's flight deck. There, waiting for him was Hawk and standing behind him, multiple Cerberus soldiers. He could see Connor waiting to Hawk, exchanging a glare with Hellion. Xen stepped out next to Hellion before continuing to Connor, where she hugged him lightly before moving to stand next to him.

"Hellion, its good to have you back in one piece. Do you have the package?" Hellion nodded and motioned for his soldiers to pull him out.

As soon as Rael had been brought out onto the flight deck, he was completely shocked into submission, allowing the guard's to drag him towards Hawk and his group without resistance. The new surrounding scared him, terrified him. He wanted so much to go back home, to make sure this was just a terrible nightmare, and that he would wake up next to his mummy. The soldiers stopped next to the big man in red clothes...metal clothes...and so Rael stopped as well. Most of these men were wearing white metal clothes except the one at the back, who was wearing black and yellow, and was smiling. The other was a woman and looked like mummy with her face covered by glass, blue eyes in the back of them. Rael looked up at Hawk with innocent eyes. Tears began to flow.

Hellion pointed to the petrified child, "This is the son of John Shepard and Tali'Shepard, an abomination I personally stole out of their grubby little hands. Do as you wish with him sir, he is my gift to you. He shares no strategic or tactical value, just..." Hawk held up a hand and stopped him, moving towards the child, "Yes, he serves a big strategic value. We can use him as a...bargaining chip of sorts." Hellion nodded in agreement while Connor just watched the scene, disgusted.  _Hybrid or not, he's just a child. This is...this is inhumane._ Hawk and Hellion were basically torturing the child, a innocent little creature who had no military training, didn't know what war was, didn't know his parent's names and couldn't possibly know what was going on around him. He glanced at Daro,  _and to think she helped with this. We'll have to talk about that._

Hawk kneeled next to Rael, looking the scared child in the eyes. The poor kid was on the verge of crying. He began to as well, eyes welling up and the kid making gasping noises. Hawk ushered a 'sssshhhhh...' "Don't worry, we are not going to hurt you. We need you." Rael shook the hands that Hawk had attempted to place on his shoulder, "Where is my daddy! Where is my mummy! You are bad people! You hurt mummy and daddy! Mummy and Daddy kill you!" The kid looked enraged, but properly. Not throwing a tantrum. It was almost like speedy evolving. Hawk smiled, "No, mummy and daddy don't know where you are little child. I will look after you now. My name is Hawk. What is your name?"

Rael answered with a low voice, "Rael...Rael'Shepherd ner Raya." Hawk nodded,  _Rael'Shepard nar Rayya._ Hawk chuckled, "Come Rael, let me show you your new home..." He tried to pat the kid on the shoulder, but as he turned he felt a sharp pain shoot up his arm. Turning back, he saw Hawk sinking his teeth into his wrist. Hawk winced in pain and shook the kid, "Restrain that thing! Get him in his cell, now!" He managed to yank the kid's mouth open and escape his vice like grip on his wrist. Blood poured from the wounds, but Hawk acted as if it wasn't there. The pain was numb. Rael resisted and shook, but the soldiers managed to get him under seditives before dragging him away to his cell.

Hellion walked up to Hawk, "Now you know how I had to deal with him." Hawk shook his head as he turned to Hellion, "Yeah, well he won't be much trouble in a cell. I'll have Connor assigned to the kid, he's more soft hearted then I am. If not for Connor, I would have ordered the kid executed instead of captured." Hellion nodded, smiling as he went. Hawk motioned for his troops to leave before following. He felt a hand on his shoulder and watched as Connor and Xen, hand in hand, left before turning to see it was Hellion. "Yes?"

"Shepard might be a problem sir. He's...well...unpredictable at times but right now he stands out. He is incredibly pissed and he won't stop until he's found that thing he calls a son." Hawk shook his head, "Do not worry my friend, he will never get within a few kilometers of Behemoth before Bellerophon blows him to pieces. I don't care how angry he is, he will not defeat us." Hellion shook his head, "Your underestimating him." Hawk shook his head, "No, I'm stating facts." With that, Hawk waved his hand, closing off Hellion from saying anything else. "Now get to the comm room. Illusive's waiting for you. I believe its your next assignment."

Hellion nodded as he saluted Hawk. Hawk simply kept walking until he entered the elevator and left. Hellion headed for the same elevator, waiting for it to return before he stepped into it and hit Deck 34. He was left to his thoughts.  _What if I've already made that mistake? Did I think taking his son wouldn't unleash his wrath upon me? And that quarian? We could have the entire Quarian republic and geth consensus on our ass. Maybe Hawk's right, and Bellerophon can hold them off. But what if the entire victory fleet unites again to fight him? They managed to take out a whole Reaper fleet, who says a single Reaper would hold them off?_

_Yet again, Bellerophon is anything but a normal Reaper._

The elevator finally hit Deck 34 and he stepped out, dodging the numerous Cerberus crew traffic and walked down the long corridors. Somewhere, 2 kilometers ahead of him, was Bellerophon, piloting the ship. He was literally encased inside the ship, driving it. No bridge was needed for the Behemoth, Bellerophon WAS the bridge. Many people didn't return from Bellerophon normal, either dead or indoctrinated from being near him, and the indoctrinated didn't last long. He shook away the thought of Bellerophon indoctrinating him and stepped into the comm room. He waited for Illusive to set up the call but was plesantly surprised when he saw desk with Illusive sitting behind it.  _Meeting me in person? Not only is this an honor, but he must have something very important to say._

"You wanted to see me, Illusive Man sir." The Illusive Man turned to look at him, a puff of smoke relieving itself from his cigarette butt. The smoke impacted Hellion's face, but out of fear of disrespect, he didn't move to wipe it away. He just stood there, looking the man straight in his glowing, blue, husk like eyes. Illusive removed the butt from his mouth and spoke, more smoke eminating from his mouth.  _Damn, I'm surprised he isn't dead from oversmoking yet._ "Please, to you, I am Jack Harper. Go ahead, take a seat." Hellion nodded and out of respect, and upper authority, he took his seat. He removed his helmet (which was close to looking like Didact's helmet, just white in color) and sat it on the desk, so as to allow the Illusive Man to see his scarred face. Jack Harper, so that was his real name. He had heard that name; served in the Alliance during the turian invasion of Shanxi in the First Contact War. His friends, Dr. Eva Core and many more were all eventually killed, Core most notably on Palaven when she and Harper were captured by Saren himself and taken there. Apparently Harper had convinced Saren to destroy some temple, which had Reaper tech that was indoctrinating the priests, his brother included, forcing him to kill his brother. Saren had hated humanity ever since. Dr. Eva didn't survive the blast, and apparently Harper was broken by it. To think that Illusive had a romantic interest in anyone was just...unexpected. The man always appeared so stoic and uninteresting.

"Yes Mr. Harper sir, you wanted to see me?" Hellion still wanted to ask why Jack was seeing him in person, but he guessed that could wait for later. Maybe Illusive would explain without him needing to ask. And maybe he wouldn't, it all depended. Illusive nodded, leaning back, fiddling with his cigarette as he always did, "Yes. Its about you and Mr. Faringar." Hellion gulped.  _Was he being ordered to kill Connor? Good. No, he needs Connor. Does he suspect Connor has turned traitor? No, Connor is foolish but not that foolish._ "Um...yes sir?"

Illusive smiled, "I know you two are rivals, general. I'd like to discuss a peaceful end to that rivalry. Cerberus needs to be working together, not falling into a redundant schism." Hellion wanted to sigh in relief.  _I shall finish Connor in my own way._ Illusive leaned forward for more emphasis, as if preparing to drop a bomb on the Cerberus general. "You are strong man, Yuri. A man with potential. You lead one of our strongest cells and you are ruthless and get the job done. I like that about you. Connor is strong as well. He might be soft and troubled between his past and his current alias, but I assure you, he is just as good as you are; in command ability and morality. Whether you both like it or not, your both in mutual ability, and I need you to act like it. I want you to meet up with Connor, shake hands with him and let it be. And I don't mean literally, I'm using it as a precursor term for your resolution of this conflict."

"Why not bring Connor into his meeting as well sir? Surely he needs to hear this as well." Illusive nodded, before puffing out more smoke, "I talked briefly with him before you arrived. Figured I'd get him out of the way first. He wasn't homey about it, but he did willingly accept the choice given." Hellion nodded then shook his head.  _This isn't right. Why should I make nice to Connor when he could stab me in the back at some point? He sees me as a threat to his precious little lover. Yes, I will accept the proposition, but I shall keep a close eye on him._ "I shall make it happen sir." Illusive nodded, "Now for your assignment. I'm sending you to Earth. I want you to dig up information on a very special subject." Illusive held out a datapad with the mission briefing.

Hellion took it and began a read through. When finished he threw it onto the table, "Why is this information so important?" Illusive smiled and stood up, "Cause it shall help us push towards our ultimate goal, humanity's ultimate goal; galactic subjugation and a all human council. Think of it, all the races will answer to us. Quarians and geth will be our slave labor, the asari and turians our militia and so much more. Acquiring that information will help us rid of the biggest threat to this plan." Hellion nodded and uploaded the mission contents onto his omnitool, "You will have that information sir." Illusive smiled and took a swig of the beer he had on his desk, before putting it back down, "I know I will. You, Connor and Hawk are my most trusted agents. I don't need to wish you luck."

Hellion nodded and left the office.

_Soon, it will be just me...and Hawk._

...

"FFFFFUUUUCCCCKKKKKK!" Now alone in the elevator as it ascended to his cabin, he let all his rage bellow out.  _Damn you Hellion. How dare you make this personal. Vido and Dav made that same mistake by turning Tali against me, you will not touch my son or I'll fucking kill you all, you bastards! Damn TIM, damn Hawk, damn Hellion, and damn Xen. Connor...why? What is it about Xen that drew you to her? No matter, I will kill her. You have to make your choice Connor. Your either with humanity, or your not with them at all._

Shepard's fist lurched forward and smashed into the elevator wall, damaging the wall more than him. He felt...angry, depressed and annoyed all at the same time. It was that mix of emotions that Tali was probably going through right now. Shortly after Rael's capture, Tali had exiled herself to the cabin and hadn't come out for quite awhile. He wanted to see how she was doing. He was barely containing his rage, he imagined it was harder for Tali, being a quarian, children were very precious to her people.

He wanted to break down and cry. He wanted to get out a gun and go and storm a random Cerberus base. He wanted to lay in a corner and hide from the galaxy. He wanted to do all three of those, yet he knew he couldn't do any of them. Doing any of those wouldn't save Rael, he knew it, Tali knew it, and the crew knew it. He had to continue the mission in the hopes of locating Bellerophon and a way to destroy it and Behemoth and hopefully, in the process, Hellion, Hawk, Xen and the Illusive Man.  _What did Aria say? Squarely on the top of my shit list._

The elevator finally arrived on Deck 1 and he stepped out. He felt dizzy as he did, as if he had just recovered from a major hangover. It kept its hold over his vision for a few more crucial seconds, before relieving him of the drowsyness. Without a further thought, Shepard took a few deep breaths and headed directly for the door to his cabin. Before he moved to touch the interface he heard sound from behind it. It was constant, static and neverending. It contained only onething; melancholy.  _Crying._ He heard a sniff as he knew who it was. He knocked on the door.

She didn't answer. He was about to knock again when he heard her answer, "Come...in." He tapped the interface and waited 10 seconds for the decontamination cycle to finish. When it did, the door slid right open. He immediately saw it. Tali was, or had been, hiding under the bed covers, crying into the pillow. Tali was now ontop of the right side of the bed, in a fetal position, crying into her legs. She looked up as the door opened and Shepard could see from her face that she had been intensely crying.

She sniffed, "I'm sorry you had to see me like this...I'm so...I...Rael..." She broke apart and her face dug into her knees again, beginning a new wave of crying. Shepard jogged to the side of the bed and crawled up next to her, wrapping an arm around her and rubbing her arm gently, "Come here" he said softly. She broke out of her fetal and dug into his chest, crying still constant. He rested his head ontop of hers and continued rubbing her arm, saying reassuring words to her. "ssssshhhhh...I know how you feel...He's my son as well, remember that. Rael's a strong kid, he'll survive. He has Uncle Wrex's persistence..." Tali stopped crying if only to spit out more words, "They took him John...our son is in that bastard's hands and we can do nothing to save him? Why? Why did those bosh'tets have to take him! He's so young...he doesn't understand the...the..."

A tear couldn't be held back and streamed down Shepard's right cheek, falling onto Tali's head. She felt it and stopped crying, looking up to him. Shepard placed a kiss on her forehead and looked into her eyes, "Rael isn't dead. He's a Shepard. We Shepards are tough SOBs. We'll get him out of there, I promise you." Tali placed a finger on one of his scars received from Project Lazarus and traced her finger along it. For the first time, she smiled, "You always bring hope. Your so...special. I'm honored to have met you John. Your making me thank the Ancestors for getting myself onto that Geth world." Shepard chuckled and Tali left herself release a soft giggle.

She lost her smile, "I just hope Rael isn't hurt. If he is, Hellion won't live to tell the tale." Shepard nodded and pushed some hair out of her face and stroked her cheek. "Remember, he's a Shepard." Tali regained her smile and shook her head, "You make them sound invincible." Shepard laughed, more loudly than he had intended, "Oh we go way back. Ray Shepard served in the US Marine Corps and served in World War II. He was in Berlin when it fell. Then there's Alexander Shepard, he served in the US Army Rangers and helped avert WWIII in 2014. Rebecca Shepard was a USAF, that stands for United States Air Force, pilot and she fought an aerial engagement over Las Angeles in the Second American Civil War. Charles Shepard fought in the First Contact War. Hannah Shepard..." he smiled, "Is a Rear Admiral Lower Half and commands a big ass Alliance Dreadnought. John Shepard saved the galaxy from a army of geth heretics, a rogue turian spectre and a Reaper with a huge ego. He then assembled the deadliest team in the galaxy, fell in love with the galaxy's most beautiful woman..." Tali giggled and rolled her eyes, mumbling, "I wonder who that could be."

"And then hit the Omega 4 Relay and destroyed the Collector Base and the Collectors themselves. Finally, he successfully bonds to a quarian, cures the genophage, gets the quarian's back their homeworld and makes peace between them and the geth, befriends the batarians, unites old enemies and retakes Earth from a race of sentient dreadnoughts. Then there is Tali'Shepard, anything but your average quarian..." Tali slapped him in the chest, but not hard enough to deter him, "...being one of the most brilliant engineers in galactic history, one of the sexiest women in the galaxy, scratch that, THE sexiest woman in the galaxy, the best hips the galaxy has to offer and managed to make love to a human numerous times...that's a huge feat for a quarian. Not to mention she defied all predetermined quarian logic and bonded to a human. Finally, Rael'Shepard. No info required. He's a badass in the making."

They both laughed loudly before stopping abruptly. Well, Tali stopped abruptly as Shepard locked lips with hers. She immediately reciprocated the kiss, reaching her hand behind his head. They passionate kiss ended only with Tali breaking it so she could push Shepard onto the bed and get ontop of him. She put one leg over each side of his waist and once again locked lips with his. Shepard rubbed her back with his hands, rewarding him with soft moans from the woman ontop of him. Her hair fell into his face, but he did not care.

Using his hands, he began unbuttoning her shirt, which she had been wearing for quite a while now, and Tali proceeded to do the same with his shirt. They both heard the door open, but they didn't even acknowledge it. They were too deep into their kissing to care. Tali leaned her head to give Shepard access to her neck. He began kissing it, eliciating moans from the quarian engineer. "Ahem." They didn't stop. The feminine voice did it again, "Ahem." This time more loudly. Still no notice. "Oh for the love of god, a old woman doesn't need to see this!"

They immediately turned to the door and found Hannah standing there, looking at them in shock. "Mum! I, uh, we were just..." He looked at Tali and she got the message. She rolled off of him onto the bed and noticing that half her breasts were visible, immediately turned over and rebuttoned the shirt. Shepard did the same, and they both looked at Hannah with fake smiles. "We were just...um...well...we were...discussing our plan...of...uh...plan of attack...against Cerberus!" Tali said, finally finding a working excuse. She knew from the get go that Hannah wouldn't buy it, and she wasn't disappointed.

"Right. I'm sure plans of attack don't involve unbuttoned shirts, comrades jumping ontop of each other and kissing. That usually defines 'lovemaking.' As perturbed as I was watching it, it was quite cute." Shepard widened his eyes, "Cute!? Mum...that's..." He started blushing, and Tali had to hold back a giggle. Hannah laughed as she walked down, "Your looking red in the face John. I was joking about the...you know...sex being cute, but you two are really an adorable couple. I guess I was wrong about Ashley being perfect for you."

She turned to Tali, "and Tali, still as beautiful as when you showed your face to me back in that apartment on Illium. I believe it was just after your bonding ceremony. You were asking about human marriages." Tali nodded, remembering. She had been so nervous showing her face to anyone but Shepard. But she had done it, it was also the first time she had worn her  _pal'tec vis surden_  the proper way; on a necklace, not inside a suit like they currently had to. But that would change. Tali instictively touched her medallion, her symbol of bonding to John'Shepard vas Rannoch.  _Vas Rannoch. That sounds good with his name._

"Yes, I remember." Hannah nodded before turning to John, "I just wanted to say how sorry I am...about Rael." Shepard nodded solemnly. "I let my guard down. I should have gone with Samara. Tali could have easily held off Xen long enough for me to come with reinforcements. Its because of my overprotectiveness of Tali that Rael is now in Cerberus hands. Being...tortured, or...or..."  _Dead. No...No No No. He's not dead, that's a terrible way to think._

"Rael isn't dead. We'll save him, and our first step in that is Desponia. Tali and I should know what's best for Rael. He's our son, our family, and we will save him. Its only a matter of time. I've promised Tali, and I'll promise you. We'll get your grandson out alive." Hannah nodded, pleased with his words. "Its not your fault, John. You wanted to see your mate safe..." Shepard shook his head, "That's no excuse!" Tali put a hand on the troubled human's shoulder, "No, stop hitting yourself John! You did what any other quarian would have done! You heard your lifemate in trouble, and you came to her aid! It is part of the bond." Shepard shook his head, "I'm not a quarian Tali."

Tali smiled, "You act like one." That hit Shepard and made him realize something.  _She's right. Wearing that suit, my overprotectiveness, my willingness to live with her, following quarian customs, my feeling of togetherness...am I converting to Ancestralism or something? Or am I literally being absorbed by the quarian race?_ Shepard nodded, if only on Tali's part. He didn't want her to waste more energy on convincing him. Hannah sat next to him, "Don't worry son. I've got a fleet, and I will use it to the best of my ability to save Rael."

Shepard smiled, "Thanks mum. I better get to the bridge, I've..." Joker's voice answered first, "ETA to Desponia 2185, 20 Minutes. Garrus is ready. Just waiting on you two lovebirds to quite making out and slap some armor on. Better get Tali back in her suit, that place is still pretty hostile." Shepard looked up at the intercom, "Joker, how much of this did you see?" Joker took a few seconds to answer, "I, uh...started seeing it when you...uh...started laughing..." Shepard wanted to shout him out, but held himself still. "Joker...did you see ALL of it?" He heard Joker gulp, "Maybe..." Shepard grinned, "You better seal the bridge...Tali is..." Joker shouted over him, "Not this again!" Tali ran up the stairs, clearly pretending to be angry. She walked past the door, turned to Shepard and winked, before entering the elevator. Shepard laughed.

"Come on mum, the Leviathans await us."

...

"Its okay Joker, Tali doesn't have a teleporter. You can come out now." Shepard stood in the shuttle's troop bay, fully equipped in his Ajax Armor, the quarian republican insignia emblazoned over the original Cerberus eyesores. Joker seemed to appear on screen, "Good. Um, is she there?" Shepard turned to Tali, who approached the screen, equipped in her gold and black suit that she seemed to like, "Yes I am, Joker. Don't worry, I won't and can't hurt you." Joker sighed, "Well, okay. As far as I know, the Leviathans haven't moved house, so they should still be there. I've sent a signal, but there's been no response. I made sure they knew it was us."

Shepard nodded, "Good, that makes this easier. I won't doubt that Cerberus might decide to show up, so that's why we're wearing armor. I hope this goes without incident. Just make sure you and EDI are prepared for another EMP assault." EDI responded, "My cyberwarfare suites are fully active and prepared to repel viral, cyber and internal attack. Joker will deal with external and conventional attack." Joker nodded, "So we are basically set up and fine. Be careful down there, Normandy out." Joker's face then disappeared from the screen.

Shepard turned to Tali and Garrus and they engaged in active conversation for awhile. A few minutes later, they felt the shuttle impact the ground and the door opened to reveal a stormy world. Rain and harsh winds plagued the area, and lightning flashed in the background, the waters of the world swaying dangerously in a rift of fury. He stepped out onto the ship's wreckage, followed by Tali and Garrus. The shuttle door closed and they began walking back towards where Shepard had dived into the water with the Triton Mech. He looked at the dead bodies of numerous husks, cannibals, marauders and brutes.

As he reached the site where Cortez crashed the shuttle the second time, he heard a familiar roar; a brute. Shepard reached to grab his rifle, but the Brute was already on him. However this Brute didn't attack. It simply stood there, looking at him. It continued this posture before finally pointing at the water. Shepard followed the arm and finally realized.  _This is the Brute that the Leviathans took control of to save me._ The Brute pointed to a random point in the water. At first he thought the Brute was pointing at the floating body of the Reaper Sovereign-Class floating in the water but then he saw the water begin to bubble up.

With a second word exchanged, a Leviathan erupted from the water and hovered high in the air, its scales gleaming even in the stormy weather, its six eyes glared down on Shepard.

"So we meet again, Leviathan."

"By the spirits..."

"Keelah..."

The Brute simply growled.

Shepard waited for the Leviathan to envitably enter his mind and communicate with him. But it did not come. He looked up at the Leviathan.  _Is it going to communicate with me or not?_ He kept waiting for the immediate mind access, but it still didn't. Shepard wasn't about to yell at it when Garrus spoke, "Tali, what the hell!" Shepard turned to see Garrus looking at Tali and backing off. Tali walked past him like a zombie, as if possessed by a kindred spirit. "Tali?"

Tali stopped and turned to him, still as slow as she had walked, just like a zombie. Like an indoctrinated.  _The Shepard has returned to our world for further assistance. You are the one who breached the darkness, the one who the Reapers feared. You defeated the AI we created, the Catalyst. You completed the Crucible that so many cycles failed to build and were harvested because of it. We were right. There is no war, only the harvest. A harvest that you ended. You may receive our assistance if only for a temporary period_

Shepard clenched his fists in anger, "You can start by letting go of my lifemate! You don't need her to communicate with me!" The Leviathan did not answer for a second.  _Incorrect. We require this form to communicate because your mind has become weakened by something. Your will has broken apart and we must use the mind of a stronger individual. Now, ask your questions, and leave_  Shepard nodded. They wouldn't harm Tali as long as he was around. He cleared his throat, "A man from Cerberus told me about a Reaper named Bellerophon. He said 'Harbinger wasn't the only one.' What did he mean by that?"

The Leviathan took more time to answer than normal.  _Bellerophon. He is a myth. He cannot exist. He was destroyed in the first cycle according to the mythological tail. He was destroyed over our homeworld, Ryttackur. The planet you are standing on which you call Desponia._  Shepard nodded.  _Something even the Leviathans don't believe in. Bellerophon must be ancient._ "You haven't answered my question. Harbinger wasn't the only what?" He waited patiently for the Leviathan's answer.  _Harbinger wasn't the only Reaper Leviathan._  Shepard shook his head. He thought he knew where this was going, "Then who else was?" The Leviathan replied immediately.  _Bellerophon._  Shepard and Garrus glanced at each other in shock.  _Bellerophon is the vanguard of the Leviathan empire. He was our double agent. Our true prodigy._  Shepard raised his eyes in a surprised fashion, "What do you mean exactly?"

 _Bellerophon was a Leviathan who willingly gave itself to the Reapers. We had developed a countermeasure to Reaper conversion that allowed us neural control over him. It would allows us to use Bellerophon as we saw fit. He was the most powerful of the Reapers, alongside Harbinger. He would destroy Harbinger and then move on to destroy all the other Reapers. This plan however, failed. Harbinger engaged Bellerophon and shot him down over Callosdost, a planet you know refer to as Noveria._   _Bellerophon would be the vanguard for the return of the Leviathans. We also predicted the construction of the Crucible was unavoidable, and built a countermeasure into Bellerophon that made sure he was mostly organic. He is a Leviathan trapped in Reaper casing, allowing it to survive the Crucible's rays. This is how it lives._

Shepard shook his head in horror.  _Dear god, we should...we should never have discovered these...things!_ "I trusted you! You wanted to destroy the Reapers just so you could reawaken Bellerophon and rise up again!" The Leviathan let out an unearthly chuckle, one that rebounded off the ship's deckplates.  _We will rise up and retake this galaxy. A galaxy we own. We are the only apex race. We will begin the reclamation. This organization you call Cerberus...will be our tool to achieve that goal. Prepare yourself human, for the Leviathans have returned!_  Without warning, Tali fell onto the ground, released from the Leviathan's strength. Shepard rushed by her and lifted her up onto his back before rushing back to the shuttle, Garrus close behind him. The Brute took a swipe at the turian, but his Krysae managed to rip one of its arms off. The other two Leviathans quickly joined the one they talked to, and stood examining them.

Shepard hit the shuttle opening door and ran inside, Garrus behind him. With the door closed, the shuttle raced off the ground and into the atmosphere. Garrus limped to his seat, as the injury he received in the leg from Xen was taking its toll. Shepard looked at the turian as he placed Tali's unconscious form on one of the seats. Checking for a pulse, he was relieved to find one, a powerful one in fact. He turned to Garrus who looked at him with shock, "My god Shepard, and to believe we trusted them." Shepard shook his head, " _I_ trusted them. You simply followed my lead. I've got to warn the Council and the Alliance about this. First Cerberus, now this. They'll be fucking joyful to hear this."

Garrus leaned back and looked at the wall blankly before looking back at him. "We need to find Bellerophon and end it. Now. Its the only way to stop the Leviathans." Shepard nodded in agreement.

_Bellerophon will not succeed, no matter the cost._

"Open comms with the Normandy, tell Joker I wanted everyone assembled in the War Room, I've got ALOT to tell them. Also, have Tali and Garrus transferred to the Medbay as soon as were aboard." Garrus opened his mouth to retort.

"No buts, thats an order."

 **Bosh'tet:** Thought by many non-quarians to be the quarian equivalent of "son of a bitch" or "bastard." Surprisingly, it is actually the name of a animal native to Rannoch, similiar to Earth rats. It is a rodent to lives my scavenging, but has a very low intelligence, is quite irritating and lazy. It eats the excrement of other animals, using what's let of it as a home and the undigested bits as sustenance. It will eat any dung, even its own. It will defend its dung pile at any cost, even its own kind, and has been known to fight to the death. Quarians used it as a curse word for people who are being stupid, unresponsive, irritating or fighting for a worthless cause or reason.

"The square root of 906.01 equals 30.1"

\- David Archer


	41. To Forgive a Man...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor is assigned to look after Rael, and abduct him a friend. Shepard and Tali race to find their son.

**TO SURVIVE II:**

**AFTERMATH**

_**To Forgive A Man...** _

"I'm telling you doc, I'm fine. Now how's Garrus?" It had been minutes ago that they had returned from Desponia and quickly escaped the planet, and Tali, still unconscious, lay on a medbed next to him and Garrus had to have his leg wrapped up in medigel and bandages, and layed down, relieved from duty for 4 days, and put on light duty for 2 weeks after that. Garrus had been pissed off to know that he would be attending ground missions for 18 days but had stopped bitching when Chakwas had given her that award winning 'death glare' that she loved using on her patients. It immediately shut them up. And surprisingly, no matter the race, even batarians, it was always effective.

Tali was still peacefully sleeping on the bed, her chest lifting and dropping with every breath she took. The glowing beacons in her mask that signified her bright, silver eyes were absent, signalling that her eyes were closed. Her left hand was on her chest, just below her breasts, while the right was held firmly in his grip. He smiled as he watched her sleep. He turned to Dr. Chakwas, who had both hands on her hips, giving him the glare. It wouldn't work on him.

"Rear Admiral John'Shepard vas Rannoch, I order you to let me check you!" Shepard sighed. "I...have...no...injuries. Even ask Garrus. I barely got touched. Worry about him, not me!" Garrus nodded, "He's right doctor, he was hit by nothing. No reason for him to be injured. The Leviathan talked through Tali, not him and her mental signs, you said, were fine." Dr. Chakwas rolled her eyes before sitting back behind her desk, "Stubborn man." Shepard let out a light chuckle.

Garrus' voice spoke up, "That Leviathan mentioned that your mind wasn't strong enough or something. What did he mean by that?" Shepard nodded, but then shook his head, "Not a clue. It was probably just it using excuses." Garrus grunted in pain from shifting his leg and returned to staring at the ceiling. Shepard pondered this. As much as he wanted to believe the Leviathan's words were all crap, he couldn't push away the nagging feeling in his mind that was telling him that truth was hidden in those words.  _Only thing that could do that is...nah...couldn't be...yeah, that's just pessimistic and gruesome thinking. Those words are hollow, I'll let them slip. Gotta focus on stopping them._

He felt Tali's hand shift in his grip and he looked up to see the silver eyes in her mask reignite. She held her head as she tried to sit up, "Keelah...my head is pounding..." Her voice was soft but full of discomfort. She fell back into the bed. She looked around her surroundings and her eyes fell on Shepard. "Why am I here? What happened on Desponia?" Shepard began rubbing her wrist as he spoke, "What do you remember?" Tali broke eye contact, but only for a second, to contemplate her thoughts. She turned back to him, "I remember standing next to Garrus and we were looking at Leviathan. Then everything went dark. I felt like I'd passed out and everything was cold and dark. I was scared. Then I wake up here. What happened?"

"The Leviathan took control of you to speak to us. It revealed that Bellerophon was a Leviathan disguised as a Reaper that was meant to destroy Harbinger. Harbinger found out about this and shot it down over Noveria and it was only until ol'Illusive woke it up that he sat until the ice, asleep. The Leviathans wanted to use Bellerophon as its vanguard into the future so that it could rebirth their race and allow them to retake what was there. They made some kind of countermeasure to make sure it survived the Crucible and then they waited. The Leviathans are invading, Tali. And Earth is squarely ontop of their list."

"Keelah. Now we definitely have to stop Bellerophon. From what you said, he sounds crucial to their invasion plan." Shepard nodded, "Correct. Without Bellerophon, the Leviathans don't have anything to back them. They have no military except for Bellerophon, so as soon as its gone, their defenseless. Only problem with this plan is...locating the damn thing. We'll see if Liara has any resources and agents she can scrounge up and then see if we can get some extra assistance from STG. Kirrahe will back our word." Tali nodded with every word, confirming its validation in her head.

"The Fleet...I mean the Republic have now got some quarian agents, we've nicknamed them 'tilgraps' that are now scattered throughout the galaxy. We quarians are very good in that aspect. Geth are helping as well. We can call upon their support as well." Shepard nodded before hearing the turian nearby moan. "Yeah, you two get to have some fun with Kirrahe and friends while I'm stuck on this damn ship for 2 weeks. For a turian, that's downright disgraceful." Shepard laughed, "How are you going to live it down? Knowing you'll have to swallow your turian pride..."

"Keelah, I didn't realize that turian  _fre'eg_  had any pride." She said, teasing the turian. Garrus rolled his eyes, but Tali wasn't relenting, "Remember those elevator rides?" Garrus shook his head, "No." Tali smiled behind her mask, knowing full well she had leverage, "Oh come on, they were a chance to share!" Garrus mumbled under his breath, "This conversation is over." Tali was almost in a giggling fit when she continued, "Tell me about your turian pride..." Garrus looked at her and smiled, "I have a..." He looked at his waist and muttered, "Shit."

"Sorry Garrus, I have a shotgun, so beat that,  _fre'eg._ " She began laughing at her victory and Shepard shook his head in amusement, amused by the irony of it all. He looked at Tali to see she looked like she had just had the laugh of her life before she crossed her arms on her chest, "So doc, am I free to go? Pleasssseeeeee tell me I am. I've got to get to Engineering." She looked at Shepard with a devilish grin. Shepard returned it, knowing full well what she wanted.  _That devious little...its no wonder I fell in love with this woman. Bless god for this awesome gift!_ Dr. Chakwas smiled, turning to the quarian, "Of course."

EDI's voice continued, "I do not think Engineering was designed for sexual practises. Crewmen Donnelly and Daniels would not be pleased by the sight of you stripping nude and making love in the engine room. Donnelly would probably show interest in such a thing, as he has shown a very profound interest in feminine outlines." Tali and Shepard looked at the ceiling in horror while Garrus stifled a laugh after seeing their faces. Joker basically spoke what they were thinking, "EDI...what the fuck."

Donnelly spoke through, "She's got a point though. I..." Tali cut him off, "You want to see me naked? Do you? I can't give you that, but I can give you my knife...in your face! NOW GET BACK TO WORK! BEFORE I DO SOME VERY HORRIBLE THINGS." Donnelly immediately shut up, not even bothering to respond. Gabby continued, "Damn girl! Nice one Tali!" Tali seemed to move her head in mock self-impression, which made Shepard smile. EDI seemed to move on.

"That was a joke."

"Seriously EDI, you need to go online and look at proper jokes. Like, good ones. Joker isn't as good at making jokes as his name suggests. He takes it for granted." Joker gave an expression of mock shock, "Hey! Most of my jokes are funny. Most of them. Except Mitchell here can really dish 'em." Shepard laughed, "Mitchell was always a smartass joker. Weren't you Mitch? What did you say at one point, 'What's the difference between Lieutenant John Shepard and a Vorcha?'" Mitchell chuckled over the line, "None. Their both greedy little asswipes." Everyone laughed, but Shepard hadn't been amused, "I hated you for awhile after that."

"Don't be like that, you love my jokes! Besides, I was right wasn't I? Your so greedy that 1 Normandy isn't enough? Nah! Let's have two more!" Everyone laughed again, even louder. Shepard shook his head, "Well, Mitch. You teach EDI your jokes. Make sure she doesn't spit out another terrible one next time. But your getting better EDI much better." EDI simply disconnected the comm to the bridge and Tali giggled as he turned to her, "Yeah, by what? A straight year and a half?" Shepard laughed at her expense, taking her hand and helping her out of the bed and onto the floor, placing her feet carefully on the metallic surface.

Tali smiled and looked up at Shepard, "Well I should probably get back to Engineering and make sure Ken and Gabby are doing as I asked them. I want to make sure the consoles for them are translated. That was one of the flaws in the ship, its all in Khelish. See you later." She tapped her visor with his forehead and then left. He watched as she left and then turned his head to Garrus. He crossed his arms and gave smug smile to the turian, "So, stuck in here for a couple of weeks are we?" Garrus rolled his eyes and looked back at the ceiling, "Rub it in, why don't you." Shepard shook his head, laughing, "Don't worry brother, you'll be out of here before you know it. I'll visit when I can but I think Kasumi will have that covered. Remember, there's no Shepard without Vakarian." With that, he turned and left, Garrus closing his eyes as he left. He wanted to get as much sleep as possible.

Without anymore thought, he tapped his comm, "Contact the Council, better warn them about the Leviathans and the threat they pose. And send a message to Huerta requesting an update on Garu and Shala." Joker didn't even respond, he didn't need too, and he cut the comms. Without anymore thought, he stepped into the elevator and hit Deck 2.

...

Right hook. Sweep. Right hook, repeat. Left Hook. Left Hook, front kick. Spin kick, stun. Rinse, repeat. Connor followed this continuely as he sparred with Xen. She was quick, fast and strong, so sparring with her made sure he didn't injure anyone. As much as he wanted to spar Hellion so he could beat the living hell out of him, Hawk would reprimand him for it. Besides the fact that Hellion was out on special assignment so he was unavailable. Xen continued to block his attacks with ease, her arms rearing into blocks, and her body dropping into combat rolls to avoid his sweeps.

He made sure not to target her mask, if she got tired and let down her defenses...he couldn't bare to think of the consequences. "So...about Rael...Shepard's kid..." Connor began to ask, stopping and continuing as he attacked Xen repeatedly. Xen rolled her eyes as she made some attacks of her own, barely breaking a sweat, "The little...abomin...ation. Locked...in...a cage...like...it should be." Finishing her assault on the upgraded human general, Connor unleashed a brand new wave of attacks upon the quarian ex-Admiral, to which she blocked with serene ease and stood fast against the human's bombardment of kicks and punches. Connor shook his head.

"He's just...a kid...a child...how can you...standby...like that...and watch...him...withstand...that kind...of torment." Connor managed to take Xen by surprised and faked a left punch to the chest and then footsweeped her. He went to finish her off, but she did a pencil roll out of range and leapt back up. She smiled, "Like I said, an abomination. He may be a child, but he isn't normal. He's pathetic." Connor felt anger rise in his cheeks at the woman's stubborness, refusing to see the bigger picture. He reached out to punch her again, but she instead leapt out of range and as quickly as she had done that, leapt back in and punched him in the face. He smiled at her fiestyness.

"That's not fair, Xen, and you know it. He's just a child, he doesn't understand any of this. Were's the humility in it? What do we gain from torturing a defenseless child? Hybrid or not?" He executed a forward charge, taking Xen by surprise and slammed her into a wall. Not wasting the opening provided, he grabbed her left arm and executed a takedown looming down over her and chuckling. "It paints a bad picture on both our peoples. Maybe you should think of that." With that he stood up and offered a hand to help Xen up. They'd been at it for 3 hours, he decided he might as well call it quits. His upgrades allowed him over 7 hours of hand-to-hand before succumbing to fatigue but Xen...she was a normal quarian. She would last another hour before becoming too exhausted.

She took it and pulled herself up, patting him on the back as a sign that it was a good fight. "Maybe I will. You can't change who I am Connor." Xen stated, before taking his hand and walked outside, side by side with him. Connor shook his head, "I don't expect you to fully change, but at least you could become alittle nicer. And less ruthless." Xen looked at the human.  _He's right in a way. I don't have to fully change but I...no, foolish thinking. I am Daro'Xen, and I will conquer the geth by any means nessacary. Not even my lifemate will get in the way of that._

"Ah! General Faringar, I was just looking for you." Connor turned to see Hawk appear and walk up to him. Connor raised a brow at the Cerberus Field Marshall's presence. He looked at Xen, who offered no point of view on the situation so he turned back to Hawk to greet him, "Hawk, sir. What can I do for you?" Hawk stopped and saluted Connor, who in turn saluted back, which Connor was surprised by.  _Hawk is into military formality? I heard he had an ex-Alliance background but I didn't know..._ Dropping his hand to his side afterwards he turned to Xen. She nodded, "I've got to tend to my crew. I shall see you two later." Xen unlinked her hand from his and walked back down the passageway, towards the docking area where the Moreh was held.

Hawk turned back to Connor, and motioned for the general to follow him down the corridor. Connor nodded, and proceeded to follow him, listening to Hawk as he went, "Illusive wanted an update on Rael's progress." Connor nodded, understanding Illusive's urgent need of a status update, "Haven't bothered to check up on him yet. I've been to caught up dealing with newly upgraded recruits and training with Xen that I've forgotten about the kid. I'll check up on him now." Hawk nodded, "I guess training with Xen isn't all you've been up to with that devious woman." Connor stopped, looking at Hawk with a unintentional glare. Hawk noticed this and turned to him. "What the hell is that meant to mean? With all due respect, sir." Connor noticed his tone, but tried his best to rectify it.

"Everyone knows your past the friend-zone with that woman. Your relationship isn't a rumor anymore. Your troops know about it, I know about it, everyone in Cerberus knows about it. I'm not judging, but you could have chosen a better woman to fall in love with. Why not Delma? She's sexy, you know that. But Xen?" Connor shook his head as he continued to walk past Hawk, Hawk following him. "Because Xen is unique. We see eye to eye, we share so many things. She knows what its like to lose everything you accomplish in an instant. To have it ripped away from you. Delma doesn't. I've made my decision, I'm going to bond with her at some point and nothing you say sir, not even an order, will change that. You must remember; I have no loyalty to this organization or its goal. I'm simply here because the Alliance is too fucked up and the Council threw me out like a traitor."

Hawk nodded, "Very well Faringar, and I won't order you to do anything of the sort, but if you relationship with Xen makes you fuck up in combat, then I will take action to cut the source of the problem." Connor stopped and pointed a finger at him, "You stay the fuck away from her you understand? You so much as lay a finger on her and you'll find yourself orbitting this ship." Connor realized that he had just threatened a superior officer, but he wasn't going to take it back. When Xen's life was in danger, he'd make damn sure she was safe. Even if it meant questioning orders."

"Watch your tone, Faringar. I'd hate to see you locked up. Just do as your told and no harm will come to either of you. Now you'd better check on that kid, I've got an operation to run." Hawk saluted Connor again before walking down the opposite corridor, the murky, greenish interior a testament to the one tenth of Collector design in the Behemoth. It wasn't like a hive like on Collector ships, but it was damn close. Without a second glance at the Cerberus Commander, Connor walked down into the prison blocks. It wasn't long before he found Rael's cell. Who else could cause so much trouble? Two soldiers lay on the ground with broken arms and another clutching his neck, blood flowing from it. Another seemed to be watching the prisoner inside with absolute shock.

"What the hell happened here?" The soldier turned to him speaking, "What the fuck do you think...oh! General Faringar, sir! I didn't-" Connor rolled his eyes, "Just tell me why we have three soldiers WIA." Connor crossed his arms for emphasis. He got an answer, or he didn't. The former ended with the man standing, the latter ended with his dead body on the ground, a pistol shot through his skull. "Fucking kid went nuts! He started calling for his parents and then the next thing I know, he breaks his restrainer's arms and then bit into his guard. I had to lock him inside with a mass effect field."

"Open it. I'll try and reason with him." The soldier looked at him wide eyed, "Sir! He's feral and out of control! You can't reason with a child, let alone an abomination..." Connor placed a cold hard stare on him, "I'm waiting. Tick, tock, tick, tock. Your life's timer is running out..." Connor's hand slowly edged to the pistol in his holster. The soldier took note of this and immediately typed commands into the terminal, causing the field to flicker and die.

"Thank you." He saw Rael look up and attempt to run out, but he trapped the child in a biotic stasis field before crouching down next to him. "You know, your not making things easy for me kid." He nodded for the soldier to reactivate the field and he released the kid from stasis. The attempted to bite his leg, but Connor raised a hand and shouted,  _Rhile'cost'jila!_ Both the soldier and the kid stopped in they're tracks, both for different reasons. The kid stopped because he understood the khelish command issued by a elder, but the soldier stopped because he was shocked by the use of the term by his commander. Connor smiled.  _Thanks a million Xen._ He kneeled down next to Rael, who sat legs crossed, eyes red below the eyesocket due to intense weeping. He gave the kid a sympathetic look, and not just for show.  _The things we've done to him...this is...monstrous. Sadistic._

"Look kid, my name is Connor. I'm a member of Cerberus. You are Rael. I'm going to look after you." Rael looked up at him and shook his head before looking back at the floor of his prison, "I want my mummy. Mummy told me you people are very bad. That you kill lots of people who do nothing wrong. I want my mummy." Connor shook his head, "Kid..." Rael's eyes lit up in fury, "I WANT MY MUMMY!" The kid glowed in furious biotics, and Connor's eyes widened in shock. He was illuminated in pulsing blue, the energy of the kid's newfound abilities surging up his body, taking a hold of him. Before he could respond with his own biotics, he was slammed into a wall. The soldier was clearly as shocked as him. Connor quickly got up and blocked the quman's second attack.

"How the hell does he have biotics!?" He shouted at the soldier. The kid was obviously still rusty in biotic control, evident through the fact that the kid's attempt at using 'warp' was nothing but a wisp of biotic light that reached a trajectory of one meter before popping out of existence. The kid's only usable and effecitve ability was throw, which he had just used, and even that needed polish. Connor however was a biotic veteran, a sentinel, a man who utilized tech and biotics. He far outmatched the little kid, but this was of course for seen. The kid had to be only 4 weeks old. But his physical traits spoke of a 5 year old child.

Connor held firm against Rael's pitiful attacks. "I'm here to look after you Rael! I'm not like the others, I don't want to hurt you!" Rael didn't respond, he just leapt forward. Without thought, Connor activated his Tech Armor. The energy surged through the child as he tried to bite the man's leg, sending him flying into a wall. Connor deactivated his tech armor and sent a light biotic shockwave towards him. Unable to recover, Rael was sent flying, just in time for Connor to catch him. "I don't want to hurt you. I'm friendly. Your safe.  _Akol'upol mala'lenu._ " Rael immediately calmed down and Connor settled him on the ground. Rael seemed untetured from the assault his tech armor gave him, making Connor have to admire the kid's stamina. He was a tough little brute.

Rael looked up at him with pleading eyes. He looked at the soldier, who was now accompanied by a squad of 11 Centurions and 4 Guardians.  _Overreact much._ He then signalled for the soldier to call the men off, and the soldiers relaxed, leaving, mumbling about 'wasting time.' He then turned back to the kid, "My men are friendly. If they offer you food or want to take your somewhere, don't resist. I promise they won't hurt you. And if they do, I'll kill them myself." He glanced at the soldier, who gulped. This prison was under Putak's juristiction, so indeed Hellion's men wouldn't be allowed to step foot in here, reinforcing his promise. "If you want to go somewhere, let one of my men know and he'll escort you there. Anything else?"

Rael shook his head and then walked backwards into the corner of the room, entering a fetal position as he sat. He continued muttering, but the only words he got out were 'mummy' and 'daddy.' He thought he also heard 'Uncle Garrus' but he shrugged it off. Signalling the man to drop the field he stepped out and watched as the field restarted. He nodded to the soldier, who was terrified of him due to his last comment, and then he walked out. He was stopped when Hawk's voice came through his comm. "Have you checked on Rael yet?" Connor rolled his eyes as he continued out and then put a finger to his comm, "Yes. Just finished calming him down. Shit, he's put three of our soldiers into medical. He's tough. And if you knew Rael had biotics, why didn't you warn me?" Hawk seemed taken back the sudden question, "I didn't know. Shit, new surprises all the time. He must have gotten it from his mother." Connor shook his head, "Last I checked, Tali'Shepard's dossier stated she was a tech, not a biotic. She ain't no Sentinel, she's an Engineer."

"None of this matters anyway, besides, we just have another soldier to use as cannon fodder that way. Get prepped, your leaving for Thessia. Recommend you take some Phantoms with you. Your going to capture and bring Rael some company." Connor frowned and stopped for a second as he turned his focus to the Armoury and continued, "What kind of company?"

"Liara T'Soni's daughter. Jossa."

...

_Tali. Tali. Tali. I can hear you. I'm coming back. Tali. Tali. Tali._

_Garu._

Her eyes opened to meet a ceiling that was, at total, 4 meters above her. She closed her eyes and opened them again to get rid of the dizzy feeling she felt the first time. She saw that her mask was no longer the purple color that it originally was, but of a more crimson like color.  _Oh Keelah. All I remember is that blast...and Garu..._ She sat bolt upright and tried to step out but heard the voice that brought her comfort no matter what mood she was in, "Its okay Shala. I'm here."

She turned to see Garu sitting next to her, his suit evidently having to have gone through major repairs. She sighed in relief as she accepted the hand Garu gave her. "I thought you were going to die. Ancestors, I begged them to not take you into they're embrace yet. I am forever blessed by they're acceptance." Garu spoke with a soft tone, but worry was painted all over it. If she could, Shala would simply kiss him and tell it was all right, that she was safe now.  _Damn this blasted suit._ She instead took his hand and squeezed it, "I'm here and I'm not going anywhere Garu. It'll take more than a bomb to do that. How long was I out?" Garu nodded, smiling at Shala's persistence. He then frowned at her question, "A week and a half. You were in a coma. Your lucky to have woken so quickly." Shala nodded, feeling the urge to jump onto all fours.  _Damn that primal urge._

"A week and...Where's Tali? And John? Are they okay?" She had to ask, Tali would be grief struck by her predicament and John would be just as worried. Garu held his hands up, "They rushed here as soon as they heard about the incident. Shepard, Garrus and Lana pulled an investigation and found our attempted murderer was a man named Hellion, working for Cerberus. They've gone off to kill him and bring them down. Tali was a broken form when she heard you were knocked out, but she vowed to kill that  _fre'eg._ " Shala nodded, laying her head back on her pillow. "Could I speak to John?"

At that moment, a doctor stepped inside. It was Doctor Michel, the manager of Huerta Memorial. "Yes you can. I'm on the line with him now. He was just asking for a status update. Its good to see you awake, Mrs. Raan." Michel passed the comm device to Shala before bowing and leaving. She would give them privacy. "Shala, your awake. How are you feeling?" Shala nodded, "Drowsy. The stuff you get after waking up. I believe you humans call it a 'hangover.'" John laughed, "Not quite in the right sense Shala, but your close. Good to know your okay."

Shala smiled and continued, "How's Tali? And how are things on the Normandy?" Shepard shook his head, We...We're not so good Shala. Tali isn't hurt anything, not physically anyway, but we've...well...Cerberus recently attacked and boarded our ship..." Shala widened her eyes, "Keelah! What happened!" Shepard sighed, he really didn't want to say this. "I...We...I failed. I...let my guard down and now...Rael...he was...captured by Hellion. We thought we had nailed the bastard, I even saw Tali gun him down, but he came back and stole him away from us. The fucking coward..." Shala wanted to tear up.  _Tali will be utterly distraught. I have to be there..._

"You come back to the Citadel right now! I'm joining your crew, again." Garu looked at her awkwardly. "Shala, you can't. Your a Councilor, you have obligations. Tali is safe with me and I will do everything in my power, shit, I'll hold the Turian councilor at gunpoint until he accepts; but I will find Rael and save him, but at the same time, I'll place a bullet between that asshole's skull, shove Hawk out an airlock and make sure the Illusive Man is gunned down by the people he wants to dominate. I promise you."

"Then may the Ancestors give you strength, Admiral John'Shepard vas Rannoch, Keelah Se'lai." Shepard nodded, "You too, Shala'Raan vas Rannoch. Keelah Se'lai." With that, Shepard disconnected the comms. Shala simply glanced at Garu before leaning in and tapping visors with his.

_I will not allow Rael to end up like my precious Yalu. I won't let that happen. I will die before that happens._

**Fre'eg:** Curse word. Literal translation: Clinging waste. In old earth english, a dingleberry.

 **Rhile'cost'jila:** A parental command to they're child. Literal Translation: That is enough, child! Although mostly used by parents, it can be used by a guardian or elder as well.

 **Akol'upol mala'lenu:** A word of reassurance. Literal Translation: You shall feel no harm, I protect you.

**Return of the Leviathans, Revelations of Bellerophon, A Reawoken Shala'Raan vas Rannoch and now we have Hellion out on a mission, Rael is a biotic somehow, and Connor is going to kidnap Jossa. Well...that escalated quickly...**

**On a different note, I think I should bring Legion back in at some point and maybe Bakara as well. I don't think I'm expanding enough on Mitchell and Kirrahe's characters either so I might make more chapters centered around their POV's. Hell, I might make a chapter of Bakara dealing with Krogan politics. And maybe Legion gives a surprise visit on the Normandy this time round? I don't know. Actually, I do know! Comment in the review section on what you think.**

**As always, its a pleasure to write this fanfic for you. The end is closer than you think. ;)**


	42. The Path of a Redeemer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor's men make their move on Liara's daughter.

**TO SURVIVE II:**

**AFTERMATH**

_**The Path of a Redeemer** _

Bakara was bored, again. Leave it to men to do the arguing. She sat in what once served as the base for Clan Urdnot and the area where Wrex began uniting the clans, most notably Clans Nakmor and Gatatog. Urdnot had since moved their base to the ruins of the Shroud, and the area had been converted into the official house of government. All the clans had elected a representitive to hold a seat in the government, Bakara had since been elected as Urdnot representitive. Nakmor, Gatatog, Reether, Fillg and many others sat around her. Even Weyrloc, initially left decimated from Shepard's assault on their HQ when saving Maelon, had joined with open hands, but were petitioning for a position in the coming Confederate Krogan Military. Efforts were already being made by the best craftsmen the krogan people had to offer to rebuild the great ruins of the cities of Tuchanka starting with the old capital, Dgoltris. And in extreme circumstances and mostly due to krogan desperation at reaching old glory; to rebuild their fleet.

Krogan had always been formidable ground soldiers, but the fleet they once held had been glorious. They once had fleets of frigates, destroyers, cruisers, battleships and even the most fearsome of all; Dreadnoughts. Yes, they once had dreadnoughts. Bakara didn't care about achieving old military glory, she cared about the reconcertation of her people, and she would do anything to achieve that goal. She wasn't going to let old grudges against the Council stop their chances of achieving totality. A big bonus was that Shaman Kleg was a Councilor, so that made the krogan on good terms with the other Council races.

"I say we take action! We must not forget the Krogan Rebellions, what the Council degenerated us to! We must take action now! I say we consolidate our military strength and strike at the Council races first. First Rannoch, you know what power they once held. With the geth on their side they'll be ten times stronger! This is our chance to sweep the quarians under the rug and turn our attention to..." Bakara immediately conjured images of quarian children being slaughtered by a krogan warlord, quarian civilian vessels being destroyed by krogan cruisers, entire cities burning into piles of ash. No, she would not allow this to happen.

She immediately slammed her fists into the table, "Unacceptable goals! Unacceptable! What you suggest is nothing less than genocide!" The krogan laughed and he was quickly followed by his kin. Bakara was outraged, "Of what clan do you represent, whelp?" The krogan stopped laughing and looked at her, rage on his features. "Jlock Yur, and you will show respect, Urdnot scum." Now it was Bakara's time to laugh, and laugh she did. Her laughter filled the chamber, seemingly ricocheting off the walls. "Clan Jlock, I recognize your stench. You would see our people become what we were before the genophage. Before the Rebellions, before the Rachni, before the civil nuclear war that left Tuchanka a smoking ruin, we were a proud people. We had scientists, civilians, mechanics, doctors, and warriors. They all coexisted. Then technology consumed us. Made work less prominent. We became pathetic. And what of the other races? They benefited from it! Humanity used it to reach their life long goal; space! The quarians used it to build formidable fleets and armies, yes, and even the geth, but they used it all for one purpose; peaceful cooperation and coexistence! The asari used it to discover other races, the salarians used it for the same thing! And what did we use it for? Violence, self-destruction and prejudice! And the result? We leave Tuchanka a nuclear bombed wasteland! And it was our Ancestor's fault!"

"The quarians were exiled by their creations, the humans are nothing but egotists and the asari and salarians are nothing but dogs scrounging up meat. Why do you think they needed us to win their war for them? They are cowards, but we shall show them true power! WE ARE KROGAN!" Bakara shook her head, "You make it sound like being krogan is something to be proud of. Well it isn't." Everyone looked at her with disgust, all but Nakmor's ambassador. He looked at her blankly, his expression unknown. His emotions trapped in a enigmatic cell.

"No, its something to be disgusted by. We are Krogan. That statement could never be more true. And what things have we done under that name? We've nuked our homeworld, we have let technology control us, we've let the Council take control of us and use us as weapons and we've let our greed get the better of us thus leading to the genophage. However, there is hope that all krogan can be redeemed. And we don't have to do it through brute military strength..." she shot a glare at Yur, before pacing around the table.

"History has made us look like violent thugs, animals that possess no sapience, no thought, we just kill and kill and kill. That is all we've known. And almost thanks to the genophage, all we will know. But who said History is written in permanent marker? No, we shall rub it all off and start anew. We will reconstruct our people, piece by piece and create a new future for them. We no longer fight our children, we fight for them and most importantly..." she gestured to everyone in the room, "...alongside them." Everyone nodded, except Yur, who didn't look quite convinced. She continued pacing, as she did her speech, "You don't have to agree with me. Most of you probably agree with Yur and want to commit genocide aplently. But I know how I want to be remembered, I want to be remembered as the woman who tried to turn our people around and make them see the bigger picture. To let them see that there is a future waiting that doesn't involve blood and war. Like it or not, the species of the galaxy are our kin. And we...are equals. So who is with me?"

She held up her arms as she continued to the very left of the table, where she sat down at her original seating. It was silent for a second, but the silence was broken when almost the entire table shouted, "We are." All but Jlock and Ikis.  _Of course those fools would rather violence._ Bakara smiled at the vocal minority that the two warmonger clans found themselves in. "Bah." Yur grunted before both he and the representitive for Ikis sat down, falling into silence, not muttering a word, or a noise. Not even a single bit of emotion played on their face, any emotions they had were bottled up and kept under lock and key.

"If we want this confederacy to work, then we have to work together. That means a consolidated effort. I motion to have a referendem on what we should focus on first; reconstruction efforts or the remilitarization of our armies and fleets. To further our goal for a peaceful future, I vote the former. All of you wishing to vote, do so now." Bakara placed her vote on the mismatch terminal in front of her, and the others followed suit.

Reconstruction: 220 Votes.

Remilitarization: 14 Votes.

Bakara smiled.  _At least some of our people are openminded. So what if ten people reject the promising future? That's their loss, the krogan people's gain. They can continue to stomp about and shout out crap about 'tradition' but the only real tradition we had was destroyed when the nukes started raining on our cities thousands of years ago. That will change, very soon._

Bakara smiled even wider. "Excellent. Then I shall rally my clan to begin efforts. I propose we centralize our efforts around Dgoltris, we should rebuild our capital. And then, and only then, shall we expand and rebuild the glory of the ancients, abeilt differently." The majority of krogan nodded in agreement, the few occassional warmongers shaking their heads in disapproval or just maintaining livid or pensive looks.

_The Krogan people shall be reborn._

...

He increased the drive output. He was now moving fast. Fast, but at a steady pace that wouldn't alert any alliance patrols in the area. He had to make this quick, clean and quiet. He was heading for Earth, the center of Alliance power and weakened or not, being caught on it would not be his idea of a mission success. Not in the least. Hellion simply watched as the fighter he piloted continued for the Tasale Relay.

Hellion just looked blankly out into the void of space around him, his mind deep in thought, contemplating why this information could be so important. In the end it didn't matter what his opinion was, if the Illusive Man, well, Jack Harper, wanted him to do it, he'd do it. Without hesitation. He was a soldier, he knew well enough to only question motives, but not orders. His motives however were quite available for everyone to see. He wanted Connor out of the way, no doubt about that. That man was troubling. He couldn't say he was easy to read, the man was still quite the enigma, giving even the Collectors a run for their money, but his face was readable. He was soft, but relentless and ruthless when he needed to be. An odd combination of emotions. One brought about by...past resolutions. Something in the man's past must have brought along this mixed bag of emotions.

Hellion shook these thoughts out of his head just as the ship shuddered in intense blue light. Seconds later, he exited the Sol Relay and his course corrected on a plot directly for Earth. It was none of his concern why Connor was the man he was, and to be more factual, he really didn't give two fucks. Connor was nothing but a rival that needed to be eliminated. Even now, he could see Hawk losing faith in the man. Hawk even discreetly put a bounty on Xen's little masked head. First one to kill the bitch would be getting a promotion. No, he wouldn't kill Xen, not until her use downgraded to the point of uselessness. Then he would kill her, starting with chopping off her buckethead. Besides, he'd at least get to see what a quarian looked like, even if the method was unorthodox.

Spreading his hands behind his head, he laid back to close his eyes and have some well earned rest, as he would need it to infiltrate Alliance HQ. He was strong and quick, but to get that kind of stability, he needed rest, and lots of it.

He tried to close his eyes, but he immediately heard his console beep red. Someone was hailing him. An Alliance vessel. He leaned forward to get a better look at the hailer's IFF, and found it to be the SSV Pacific, a Cruiser.  _Well, I can forget attacking it._ A smile played on his features.  _But I can board it._ He answered the hail with a quick swipe of the control board. A low voice, deep but low at the same time, indicating a 20-year-old man's came through the comm. "Untagged fighter, this is the Cruiser SSV Pacific, Fifth Fleet. Hold position until your can be properly identified. State your course, over."

"I am on heading 3-0-0-0-5-9, over. Highpri op, attempting to report in with Alliance brass immid, over." It took a while for the officer to report back, "Your not scheduled for use of this flight sector, please again, restate your current course." Hellion rolled his eyes.  _Paranoid Alliance._ "I repeat, I am on heading 3-0-0-0-5-9, over. Highpri op completed, attempting consolidation with Alliance brass immid, over." Once again, he was forced to wait precious seconds as the coordinates he gave were plugged in, "Your flight registry is still not recognized in this shipping lane. I recommend you break your course and head towards the coordinates given. If you do not comply, lethal force is authorized. Pacific out." Hellion rolled his eyes and smiled.  _That cruiser will be all mine._

He watched as the Cruiser dropped out of FTL directly infront of him, its large keel looming over him. He could see the numerous GARDIAN laser turrets and pinpoint ship-to-ship weapon systems. Judging by the large scrape on its side, it had taken a direct hit from a Reaper attack and survived.  _One hell of a lucky ship. Pity I have to commandeer it._ "Okay, prepare for-wait one sec." Hellion was suspicious of the delay. He didn't like it. "Wait, something isn't right" the voice said, and he immediately knew that it was endgame if he didn't get out, now.

He set the drives for immediate propulsion and prepped the decoys so he could dodge the GARDIANs. "The fighter your using...it was reported destroyed over Earth during a confrontation with a Oculus, this fighter is a fabrication. Identify yourself immediately or we will open fire!" Hellion smiled, "Hellion of Cerberus and I say, goodbye." He hit the propulsion and sped off. As he predicted, one GARDIAN locked on and fired, but instead of the rocket hitting its target and stopping the intruder, it instead met a decoy and exploded. Soon enough, he was too far away for the Cruiser to give chase.

 _But now they know who I am. And they'll most certainly warn Earth so that they can prepare for me._ It was then that he noticed an Alliance Corvette speeding towards Earth as well. He smiled.

_No Cruiser, fine, no Cruiser. A Corvette will do._

...

"This is a snatch and grab operation, you got me? No fucking about. We land, eliminate any security forces in our way if there are any to speak of, grab the girl, and exfil. If worse comes to worst, we'll exit loudly. We have the CV Mendicant in orbit, she's a Cruiser, she can cover our escape. Any questions?" Connor asked. His squad of soldiers didn't answer, they just kept watching him, waiting for the next part of the briefing. Connor nodded as the shuttle shuddered again.

"This is Thessia we are talking about, so thats why I brought biotics on this mission. It'll get pretty nasty, pretty quick if we run into Asari commandos without a decent counterbiotic. I've fought asari commandos before, I know how they think, how they react. They are deadly, efficient and smart, but they lack firepower. Firepower we have. They also lack another thing, actual intel on Cerberus. They've never faced us before, so they'll be unprepared to take on us. Also be careful when handling the girl's babysitter. This is the Shadow Broker's daughter were talking about, she'll have everything up from Eclipse to Blue Suns protecting this child, although the latter is unlikely due to Mr. Santiago's timely demise." Everyone laughed. Connor chuckled as well, "Thanks to intel from our dear, illustrious Mrs. Xen, we have uncovered that they may be a possible geth presence on Thessia. Be ready, these machines are dangerous assailents, and I don't want to have to clean up all the body parts when you get blown up by a Geth Prime."

"We will enter from two main areas; my team, that's you Hermes, will enter through the rear entrance on the east side of the structure, and we are responsible for grabbing the girl. Keep...her...alive. Hawk wants her, and more importantly, the Illusive Man. And whatever he wants, he gets." Connor was surprised by how those words had come from his mouth, but he knew better than to say that. "Team Two, Predator squad, will blast into the Atrium and provide a distraction, drawing the bulk of any security forces away from the real target. With luck, they'll see it as a terrorist attack and drive all available forces to combat it, giving us a hole to sneak through. Remember, snatch and grab, we are not hear to kill anyone, just to grab the girl and bring her to Bellerophon so Mr. Shepard can have some company. Any questions?"

Everyone indicated their lights in their HUD to green, showing they understood. Connor nodded, he keyed his comm, "Predator Actual, this is Hermes Actual, the light is green. Hermes will be down in aprox 60 seconds. Please confirm your status." It took a second for Nicolas, commander of Predator, to answer, "Roger, that this is Predator Actual. We copy. We are on the ground and proceeding to the Atrium now. We just secured the gatehouse. This should be a walk in the park if done right. We're a small team but we'll get it done. Predator out." Connor nodded, turning to his team. "Okay, Operation: VISITOR is in motion, we are good to go. We drop in T-minus 15 seconds." His troopers got up, readying their rifles and so forth. His sniper, Ricky Peters, had a solitary expression, and he looked like he was just an emotionless machine programmed to execute certain people and nothing else. He turned just as the door opened to reveal the city of Armali below.

"Go! Go! Go!" Connor waved his men out, one by one, spouting random words as they dropped. "Helljumpers!" "We are Airborne!" "I'm going to fuck them up" "Humanity first" "War first, Peace later" Finally, his sniper said, "Once in my sights, forever in my sights" He leapt out of the airlock. It was Connor's turn he jumped out, shouting, "For Aratoht." The airlock closed behind him as he felt himself land in the streets below, the rest of his squad taking positions that don't involve the open street. Connor just his FO on the right. Connor prepped his rifle.

"Can we expect a CAS of any sort? That's preferrable over COS anytime of the week." Connor shook his head, "Only as a last ditch open, we have Griffin 258 on standby and in the vicinity, but we call upon her only when things get grim." The pilot on the comm answered, "Just call me when you want me to rain pain on those blue xeno sluts." Connor nodded, acknowledging his gunship pilot. "Okay, spread out. I want two teams, bravo and delta. My side's delta. Barak, take Bravo and move up. Give us the all clear once your exactly a set waypoint." He set the waypoint on his tracker, "Go." Bravo moved up, followed by Barak, whispering orders to his squad. Connor couldn't get over how the man was Jewish. You'd think he'd be open to human relations with aliens, but obviously he wasn't, and he was a firm believer that his 'god' wanted the aliens wiped out. Connor wasn't religious, so he'd leave it to the zealots.

Bravo's footsteps echoed on the hard concrete, but nod loud enough to penetrate deep into Armali. The streets were all but deserted, most Asari concentrated on the lower regions of Thessia in their rebuilding efforts. Connor held his hands above in a clenched fist. His team got the signal and didn't move. He waited for a second, then 2 seconds, then 3 seconds, eventually, he waited 6 seconds..."Bravo in position. Waiting for your go." His clenched fist turned into an open palm and he waved it forwards, and his team moved forward. They ran alongside the sleek, argicultural designs of the Asari buildings, as if made to be as beautiful as the Asari themselves.  _Quarians are still better..._

He ran into the alley opposite Bravo, and looked at Barak, who also looked at him. He keyed his radio, "See anything?" Barak nodded, keying his comm, his typical Israeli accent responding, "Three Asar-Wids, 12:00, high. Third story, cover prominent." Connor nodded and motioned for Ricky to come out. He was on Barak's squad. He keyed his comm, "You what to do Ricky. Three targets, scope and drop." Ricky nodded, activating his tactical cloak and stepping out onto the street. With accuracy that must have come from the gods, or whatever deities existed out there, and the silence of a mouse, Ricky popped off three perfect shots to the heads of all targets, killing all of them. He stepped back beside Barak and deactivated his cloak, reloading his Mantis sniper rifle.

"Target's expired. Point of interest is half a klick up ahead. Keep the sides of the street, don't risk detection." Connor ordered, moving forward as he did it, his body in combat pose; legs bent and half crouching, half standing, his rifle butt up against his shoulder and eyes down the scope of his rifle, and his hands ready to give physical commands to his squad. He pressed forward, his troopers taking a similiar stance, but not as professional. Barak and his team kept up the same pace. Connor turned back, "Josh, take the rear. I'll take point. Everyone else, form on the center. Keep unit cohesion."

They all nodded their acknowledgement, and his eyes returned to up ahead. He checked his meter.  _Quarter of a klick._ "Hermes Actual, this is Predator, how copy?" Came Nicolas' voice over what sounded like a horde of gunfire. Connoe hit his comm, "This is Hermes Actual, sitrep Pred?" All the while he continued moving. The structure was up ahead, and he could hear the distant gunfire alot more now. "Enemy forces larger than anticipated. Meeting heavy enemy resistance. Their utilizing mechs too. We can't hold out like this much longer. Just hurry the fuck up and grab the kid so we can call in air support and blow this place sky fucking high." Connor nodded, "We're almost there, about a minute out." Nicolas didn't bother responding as a explosion was enough to display how urgent the situation had gotten. "Predator is in a heap of shit right now, speed up the pace. We need to be there yesterday."

It didn't take long before they finally arrived at the building. The rear entrance was mostly unguarded, so it was a walk in the park from there. After a quick kick and breach, they entered the dark exterior, ceiling showing signs of taking harsh punishment, a testament to the Reaper ravaging that befell Thessia. He stepped over the body of a badly decomposed Banshee that hadn't been moved for weeks, and continued the corridor, his weapon's flashlight illuminating the path ahead. Ricky wasn't much use in a tight quarters building like this, "Predator Actual, this is Hermes, we're inside the structure, rear entrance secured. We're moving to secure the precious cargo, over." No response. "Come in, Predator." Silence then...No response. He gave up. "Its probably a communications problem or their in a heavy combat situation where they need to concentration." Connor shook his head, "Your sounding like an optimist Barak."

Barak laughed, "I'm Jewish, what do you expect?" Connor laughed, and continued moving up ahead. The whole place reeked of a trap and if there was one, he'd spring it.  _But how the hell would they know we were coming? There is no way in hell they'd know. Bellerophon's impenetrable._ Connor heard the telltale drops of water splattering on the ground, the aftermath of a rainy day.  _It rains even on Thessia. Eh._ "Ricky, Frank, take left and link up with Predator. Get me that goddamn sitrep now. Everyone else, cover my rear and Barak, take point. You see anything move that isn't flashing a Cerberus logo, you kill it. Understood? Good." He didn't wait for a response. They either followed his command, got left behind or he killed them himself. Either way, the mission would get completed without alarm.

He quicky rushed up the stairway and checked the right and left corners. Secured, he waved his right index finger in the air and all his troopers formed a tight circle around him as he rushed the room that supposedly held the target. The room was small by asari standards, with a single, medium sized bed to his left, with what looked like children's toys of all sorts of arrangments. Large windows and a door gave access to an outside balcony as well as a view of the city down below, which wasn't something behold when most of what you saw was dead Reaper corpses. The room was littered with children's books, toys and what looked like the aftermath of biotic training. One window to his right looked cracked all over, and it had been evident a fellow asari had been wacked against it. A single light on the ceiling glowed ominously, illuminating half the room in a dull blue light.

Another door next the left of the bed led to another room while what looked the equivalent of a 'tea party' table for children sat next to it. Looking around the room however, and it became quite apparent that what they came for wasn't here.  _Where the hell is that..._

"Surprise!"

Connor turned to see a weapon impact his helmet, causing everything to turn into a blurry merriad of stars and dots. He fell backwards into the ground, the weapon stil firmly held in his grip, military training kicking in. He saw his soldiers, three of them fall to the ground, unconscious. Then he saw the blood pooled around their bodies.  _Dead._ He turned up to see an Asari looking down a gun barrel pointed at his face. He was about to grab it when he looked closer at the face. His vision cleared up and the blue features all but disappeared. No, this wasn't an Asari. And it certainly wasn't...no...it was...

"You son of a bitch..." Connor began to say, but was cut short by the smug bastard pushing the barrel deeper into the bridge of Connor's broken nose. Connor could easily taste the blood that oozed into his mouth, swatting it away like it was some mosquito trying to suck his blood. He was looking down the barrel of a Cerberus soldier. And not just any soldier.

Barak had betrayed him.

"I trusted you you spineless piece of shit." Barak smiled and chuckled, "Well you see, trust is something to be used. Its a weapon, one of the most powerful you know. When you think the person you trust would gladly take a bullet for you, you learn that they wouldn't, but they would gladly be the source of the bullet."

"All those times in Cerberus, in the Alliance, for what? Who made you do this!" He tried to stand up but Barak's weapon was stopping him. He heard a sultry voice reply instead, one he could recognize from a mile away, "Me. Matriarch Aethyta." Connor snapped his look to Aethyta. "Liara's father." Aethyta nodded, smiling, "And noone hurts my girl or her baby. And I will be damned if I let it happen now. Thank you Barak, you can go deal with the prisoners." Barak looked at her, "My credits?" Aethyta looked at Barak with an angry expression, "Do I look like a mercenary? Maybe you shuould have contracted with Eclipse." Barak rolled his eyes as he left the room. Connor felt his rifle yanked out of his hand and himself forced into a chair. The biotics dimmed out. Either this Asari Matriarch was cocky and overconfident, or she just didn't know who she was messing with.

"So, where is the kid?" Connor asked. Aethyta smiled, "Nice try but no dice. I'm not telling you. You infiltrate my daughter's home and dare to try kidnap her daughter? You Cerberus, monsters, the lot of you." Connor didn't even smile, "I'm not a Cerberus loyalist lady, I'm just following orders. My commander wants your kid, I'll get it. I'm not going to hurt her." He knew his reasoning was flawed. He was disabled, outnumbered and defenseless and he was making the promise of bringing back the girl? The matriarch was probably thinking, 'You and who's army?' Funnily enough, that's what she said, well, sort of.

"I've got a dozen well trained commandos and myself ready to die protecting her. She's going nowhere with you." Connor sighed and tried to find a way out without harming the Matriarch. Grab the girl and get out, oh, and kill Barak while your at it. Yes, bulletproof plan if I could get it to fucking work. He looked Aethyta in the eye.  _If I can try to sweettalk her._ Then he heard and later, saw, Ricky stomp into the room, "Sir..." Aethyta turned to her new target. Before Ricky could even lift his rifle, he was enveloped in blue energy. Taking his chance, Connor leapt forward. He couldn't save Ricky though. Ricky was hurled forward at such a speed that the impact resounded a sickening crunch and he fell to the fall, limp, his Mantis clattering next to his lifeless form. He grabbed Aethyta and wacked her head against the chair, knocking her out.

He turned and picked up his rifle, only to see 5 Asari Commandos, weapons levelled appear in the doorway. They opened fire just as his Tech Armor kicked in, the energy-based armor plating absorbing all of the shots. Before he could level his weapon again, he heard a familiar voice pound in his speakers, "DANGER CLOSE!" Out of instinct, Connor dropped on the ground, prone as shots burst over him and smacked into the Asari commandos, heavy machine gun rounds tearing their blue bodies to pieces in a sea of gore. Pretty soon, nothing but dead corpses remained. He flipped over to see Griffin 258, the feminine voice a relief to his ears, "I'll rain the pain on this place. I think I found what's left of Predator, but Nicolas looks well for shit. You'd better to the predetermined EZ, mission parameters have changed. We're bugging out, repeat, we're bugging out."

Connor shook his head as he stepped up, "Still got precious cargo to capture and a loose end to tie up. If you see Barak, gun him down. He's turned traitor." Griffin took no time in responding, "I got that. Heard it all over suit comms. Dropship's leaving in 5 minutes, do what you have to do and get there ASAP or we're leaving without you. Griffin out." The gunship immediately disappeared, leaving the room a shattered remnant, broken glass and large bullets left all over, the bloody remains of dead asari commandos leaving the room looking like a bloodbath.  _Where she would be safe...Of course!_

He ran down the corridor and down and out into the garage where he saw a Mako preparing to leave, Barak forcing Jossa into the vehicle before sealing the hatch. He thought he saw Barak spot him, and his suspicions were confirmed by the Mako's main gun turning towards and opening fire. Once again, Connor's tech armor absorbed most of the punishment and he leapt onto the fleeing Mako, trying for a desperate handhold. He found one on the safety ladder, and he climbed onto the roof. Barak's answer was to pop the hatch open, with his SMG and spray numerous shots at him.

The shots were easily absorbed by the tech armor, but this time it decided to explode, the force knocking the SMG out of Barak's hands. Barak instead sealed the hatch. Connor was about to climb further up when the Mako lurched forward and he lost his grip, falling and rolling down the street before bumping into a car. He smiled and got up, opening the hatch so as to sit inside and start up the engine. It wasn't long before he was trailing behind the Mako, which retorted with machine gun shots into the cockpit.

Connor dived under the console, the shots ripping through the glass and the leather seating. Connor sat back up and saw the hatch pop back open, Barak wielding a Missile Launcher.  _Oh shit!_ Connor delved to the right just as the missile shot past and he took his chance to slam into Barak. Barak, however, managed to shoot backwards inside as the car shot past and then jumped out to land on the ceiling, smile on his features as he threw away the missile launcher and prepared a tech grenade.

Connor kicked the hatch open, setting it on autopilot. Without hesitation, he grabbed Barak's arm and wrestled with him, forcing him to drop the grenade. The grenade leapt over the front and landed in front, exploding as it did. The resulting explosion pushed the car's front upwards and the back downwards, sending the car into a spiral that had it impacting the Mako. The Mako barely moved, merely focusing its main gun on the car. Connor widened his eyes and let go of Barak's wrist, who was dangling from the back of the vehicle. However, Barak had other plans. He grabbed Connor's wrist. The car slammed back just as the Mako opened fire, targetting the engines. The thing began spluttering and bursting in flame, and eventually an explosion followed. Connor had a plan for enacting revenge upon Barak, and it wouldn't be pretty.

Using all the power in his upgrades he tossed Barak over him like a Hammer and threw him  _directly_ infront of the Mako, "Goodbye, Barak. I'll see you in hell!" Barak fell underneath the Mako's tracks, his screams of pain drowned out by the Mako's wheels running over him, crushing the now lifeless form. Barak was dead, revenge was given. Connor noticed he had only had two more minutes.  _Got to make this quick._ He climbed onto the roof grudgingly, and then leapt onto the Mako just as the car slammed into a building, the crash alone would have crushed him.

He leapt into the Mako, seeing only two asari commandos, the child tucked inbetween them and two drivers. Grabbing one of the asari's heads, he snapped it in a quick and rapid motion before grabbing her rifle and placing two shots in the other's face. Jossa started crying, but he ignored it, instead moving towards the cockpit. The driver's were smart though. They immediately the breaks, the force of the sudden stop making Connor lose his balance and fallout. Before he knew it, the Mako was escape again. He knew there was noother option.

"Griffin, smoke 'em. Sending coordinates." He heard Griffin's response, "I read you, five by five." He watched as the Cerberus launched two missiles towards the Mako, impacting the back wheels, causing the Mako to stop suddenly. The gunship stayed up above in case of emergency while Connor got up and ran towards the disabled Mako. Two injured asari crawled out, one with a head wound and another with a broken leg, both holding Shuriken SMGs and Jossa. He raised his rifle, "Put the weapons down and surrender. You neither the child we'll be hurt." He could hear the sound of the gunship landing nearby.

The commandos didn't listen and raised their SMGs, but both received two bullets to the head. Jossa looking at their crumbling bodies with a terrified expression. However, Connor hadn't fired the shots. He turned aroud to see the gunship landed and Griffin outside it, pistol raised. She smiled, "I miss using these things" she said as she examined her pistol. She looked at Connor as he picked up Jossa, who squirmed and approached her, hand out for a handshake. She smiled, taking his proffered hand, "Flight Lieutenant Sarah Hale, at your service. Bring the kid aboard, transport has left, but I'll get you home." Connor smiled and took the kid into the gunship, strapping her into one of the seats before sitting next to her. Sarah slammed the door controls and closed it, stepping back up, smiling at Connor as she went.

She sat into the pilot's seat as the gunship began to lift up and sped towards the CV Mendicant. "Faringar, sir. Captain Parker of the Mendicant wishes to speak with you sir." Connor nodded, "Patch him through to my suit comm." Within moments, the captain's gruff militant voice entered his comm, "I'm aware you weren't on the dropship out General. What happened?" Connor smiled, "I pursued the defector and secured the highpri target. Defector is KIA over." Captain nodded, "And who was the defector? We got warning of a possible mole, but ignored it."

Connor nodded, "Barak sir. Barak Isura." The captain took a few moments to answer, "Very well. At least the mission was successful. Hermes Actual, you shall report into Hawk as soon as we arrived back at Bellerophon. I bet he'd like to discuss your victory. Mendicant out." Connor nodded as he looked at Jossa who seemed to be asleep.  _She's sleeping after all that just happened? Damn, she is durable._ He noticed a single string of tears down her cheek. It brought back memories of Rael, and how Hellion had been monstrous in taking the poor child.

And now...he was the monster.

**A chapter without Shepard and Tali? Well, there actually might be quite a few of these, so I wouldn't get to worked up over it. Besides, it allows us to explore Cerberus has a whole a little bit more and let us take a deep dive into what krogan politics is like at the moment. Don't worry, next chapter will be back to normal.**

"Have I ever told you the definition of insanity?"

\- Vaas Montenegro


	43. Renegade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jossa and Rael bond...and plan. Shepard discovers something new about himself.

**TO SURVIVE II:**

**AFTERMATH**

_**Renegade** _

"Stop squirming kid!"

Rael's eyes immediately shot open. He could see that he was lying on the floor, in the corner of the room, and looking at the time he had obviously been sleeping for a whole day. He shook his head as he recovered from the major headache he had suffered. His curious eyes glazed the walls in search of the source of noise. He saw a white man standing infront of the door, holding one of the blue kids. She was squirming while also pulsing with blue energy.

 _She has magic too! Just like me!_ "Open the door before she kicks me in the..." The blue kid hit the man in the middle of the legs, the area where two balls were, and the man screeched in pain. "...balllsssss..." The man threw her into the box just as the field fell, and then erupted just as quickly. The blue kid began kicking and screaming at the door, shooting a magic, blue ball at the field, but it did little. The man simply stared at the toddler before leaving, the field barely budging from the kid's magical attack.

Eventually she curled up in a ball and retreated into the corner opposite him, and Rael continued to look at his new roommate, eying her with curiosity. The kid looked up and immediately returned to her fetal position when she saw Rael's curious look. He cocked his head in confusion before sneaking closer. "White men take you too?" Rael asked as he sat only 2 meters from her.

"Y...y...yes." The girl answered quietly, but the unmistakable sounds of crying could be heard. Rael smiled, not knowing whether to feel sorry or be excited to have a new friend. Emotions confused the child. "My mummy and daddy fought...but bad men hurt them...did bad things...then took me. What 'bout you?" The kid cheered up and looked at Rael, her eyes now full of the curiosity his held. "My mummy...wasn't around. Left me with mum's friend. Mum's friend hurt...got taken. White man with lines on his face promised I'd be safe." Rael immediately remembered the man with lines on his face, the ones the men called 'skarz'. It was the man they called 'Konnr'. "Same man told me the same. I trust him." Rael answered in response.

The kid shook her head, "He's a bad person. Saw him kill good people...he's bad. He kill. He's not good. Not safe." The kid returned to fetal and Rael finally managed to sit up next to her. "You have blue magic." The kid looked up and smiled, "My mummy called them...b...bio..tics." Rael raised both brows and tried to say the word himself, "Biotics?" the kid nodded, "Yeah, that." The kid continued smiling as Rael also brought on his own words, "Me have biotics too. Not strong." Rael pulsed in a second of blue energy, before it dispersed again, the child still unable to utilize his biotics properly without anger. "Only works when I'm angry."

The kid nodded, before turning her head to look at the floor with a blank stare. After the conversation they just shared, Rael felt like something was missing. Like he hadn't asked her something.  _Name!_ "My...name...is...Rael. What's...yours?" The kid looked up with curious eyes, like she was trying to tell if he was friend or foe. She sighed, "Jossa." Rael smiled and put a hand on Jossa's shoulder, a thing he had seen his dad do with mum, "Nice to meet you Jossa. Can we be friends?"

Jossa snapped her look to Rael to scan his features. It was now that Rael got a proper look at her. She had tentacle things that trailed around the back of her head, except they didn't look like they could grab anything. Her entire skin was completely blue, unlike the purple/grey/pink color that quarians were and that he had inherited. She was very pretty too. Jossa continued to scan his facial features before laughing, "Yes. I could do with...some friends."

Rael smiled. Now he had a friend to keep him company.

_And to plan an escape with._

...

"So what does Mitchell say? He says 'maybe he has a stick up his ass'. Laughed my head off." Joker finished his recollection with a chuckle. He thought he heard EDI reciprocate the gesture, but he shrugged it off. Mitchell continued to lean against the bulkhead, grinning as he continued to polish his raptor like a prized childen's toy. "Hey, most people do have a stick up their ass when their like that. Javik is just the same. With a bit of...buggy added to it." Joker laughed even harder, "Damn, you crack me up Mitchell. I can get used to this guy. I really can."

"Hope you aren't too cracked up to set a course for Omega, Joker." Joker turned around to see Shepard walking up the flight deck towards him at a brisk pace. Joker rolled his eyes as he looked back at the console in front of him, "Have a little faith Admiral, I can multitask. Why Omega though?" Shepard stood with hands behind his back as he stood behind him, Mitchell eying the Admiral with a raised brow. Shepard just looked at all three of them before turning back to Joker once more, "Aria T'Loak said she had new information on Cerberus' operations. Said one of her freighters passed a Cerberus ship identified as the CV Mendicant inbound for Thessia. She says she may know how she can set up an ambush for us. Says Hawk might be onboard."

Everyone nodded in agreement, "So nail Hawk and we nail Cerberus? Sounds good to me." Mitchell shook his head, "Not all of Cerberus. We still have Illusive to deal with. And he's going to be a tougher nut to crack. And what about Xen? Or Connor, or worse, Hellion? No, Hawk is merely the start." Shepard nodded in agreement, "But killing Hawk should shake up the leadership alittle, cause a stir." Joker chuckled as he punched in the coordinates for Omega now. Anything else?" Shepard smiled as he turned to leave, "Yeah. Learn to Multitask. The entire time you dithered about, I noticed Tali was able to translate your console back into Khelish and leave you a message saying  _'Sokisaas bosh'tet.'_  Enjoy." Joker looked at his console with wide eyes.

"What the hell? I was joking Tali, I was...fuck! I don't know what even a hundredth of this shit means! Except for bosh'tet, yeah, I know what that one means. Damn you Tali!" Mitchell and...EDI, yes, she was definitely laughing this time, both chuckled loudly at the pilot's predicament.

"Shepard!" Shepard stopped as he saw the blue form of Liara, followed by Garrus, approach him. "What's wrong Liara? You look worried." He wasn't wrong, her eyes shouted worry and anguish, as if something horrible had happened. It was obvious by Garrus presence that the turian had tried to sort it out, but to no avail. "Athyta, Shepard. My father. She's not responding to my calls. She was looking after Jossa while I was gone...I don't know what to do..." Shepard remembered immediately.  _She left her on Thessia...the Mendicant..._

He shouted to the bridge, "Change of plans, get us to Thessia Joker! FULL SPEED!" Joker retorted back immediately, "I would if I could! Remember? Khelish writing!" EDI spoke next, "I have fixed that problem. Judging by the Admiral's voice, I'd say the matter is urgent. Setting course for Thessia." Shepard reapproached the bridge, Liara and Garrus not far behind him. He keyed his comm, "Tali, you there?" No response. He was about to speak again when Ken replied, "She's currently clean'in the vents, Shepard. I've got a nice view of her..." He heard the comm snatched out of Ken's hand, "What he means to say is that he could leave a message. What do you want her to know?"

"Tell her to meet me at the airlock as soon as possible. Gather her weapons and suit. Tell her its urgent. It takes precedence over whatever she's doing. Get her here ASAP. I don't care if you order her too. She may be Chief Engineer, but..." He heard the comm snatched away again, "...you can override my authority. Don't worry, I'll be right there. Oh, and Ken..." Shepard smiled as he heard a WHACK sound as she returned, "...that was for the unpleasant comment. Only Shepard gets to say that. Anyway, wait, can you hear this? Keelah..." Shepard put the comm away and laughed, despite the desperate situation.

"Jossa is in danger and your laughing?" Liara asked, obviously not amused. Shepard stopped laughing as he turned to her, "Something happened in engineering and...forget it. Tali will be here in a minute." Garrus raised a brow, "Why is Tali coming?" Shepard looked at him, with a raised brow, "Two things. First should be obvious, we can't stay away from each other. Part of the bond we have. Two, Jossa is also my child, as I'm the reason Jossa even exists, and technically Tali is the 'second mother.' I think this is her dilemma as much as ours." Liara nodded in agreement, "I'd better go get our weapons." Shepard nodded walking towards the elevator as they went to the armoury, "Grab my weapons. I'll go get my armor. Meet me by the airlock."

Once he was in the elevator, he punched deck 1, waiting for only a second before arriving on Deck 1. When the door finally opened, he stepped out and waited for the decontamination cycle to end before stepping into the cabin. He found Tali down near their bed desperately pullling her suit on. He had managed to do everything below the waist, but she had trouble finishing up the torso area. Shaking his head, he moved up behind her, wrapping his arms around her chest as he helped her put on the rest of the suit. She giggled at the sudden she got from Shepard sneaking up on her, but thanks to him, she was able to put on the rest of the suit pretty quickly, only having to latch on her mask and pull up her hood.

Seeing that she could handle herself from there, Shepard moved under his desk and pulled out his Ajax Armor. As he began to pull on his shin guards, he could see Tali picking up one of his boots and helping him put it on. They had always helped clothe each other, it had become natural between the both of them. As she put on his last boot and he finished with his first shin guard she asked, "So, whats this urgent matter about?" Shepard looked at her as he motioned for her to pass his chestplate. She did so as he spoke, catching it and she helped latch it on, "Jossa. Liara left her on Thessia under the care of her father." Tali nodded, but she stopped for a moment. Shepard wanted to say that he was hoping Tali had put the incident that happened months ago behind them, but obviously not.

Tali had been shocked to learn Shepard was Jossa's father, and immediately after the incident that occured still scarred her. How she tried to push Shepard away, to convince him to run off with Liara and abandon her. How she could possibly have suggested that to Shepard was beyond her. But being quarian had told her not to be selfish, and she knew Shepard was Jossa's father. It had only been after Shepard explained Liara's pregnancy didn't mean they loved each other, it was just the result of Shepard and Liara's 'sexual melding' before Ilos. That had disgusted Tali in more ways than one, but she had gotten over it and recovered.

She immediately began fitting the chestplate on again and interrupted Shepard's attempt at reassurance, "Yes, and why is this so urgent that you basically rush me out of engineering, even threatening to override my orders? That has never happened, John. You know it, I know it. What's so urgent?" Shepard put a finger to her vocalizer, "Let me speak and I'll explain,  _Saera_." Tali took a deep breath and listened as she finished with his chestplate and grabbed his helmet. All the while, he had been fitting on his shoulder armor.

"Aethyta has gone silent and Aria reported that one of her freighters detected a Cerberus Cruiser headed for Thessia. We think both occurences might be linked." Tali stopped when she fitted on his helmet, now realizing that she was sitting on his lap, one legs around each leg. That didn't matter, "You think Cerberus might be trying to kill Jossa?" Shepard noticed a worry in her voice.  _Maybe she does care._ "If Rael being kidnapped is any example, then I bet they'll try the same with Jossa. There is one good piece of good news though," he finished his shoulder pads, now fully dressed.

"Hawk is reported to be on that ship. We can not only save Jossa and Aethyta, but we can kill Hawk as well. Kill two birds with one stone...wait, I did teach you that one right?" Tali rolled her eyes and nodded. He chuckled, "Well come on, Jossa may be strong willed, but she needs her father to save her at some point. And her mother-in-law." He pointed his finger into her mask, which issued a giggle. "Maybe." He put a hand under her helmet and lifted her head up so he could look directly into her eyes, "Enough of that. You are her mother-in-law, period. Okay?" Tali nodded, closing her eyes, composing herself before taking a deep breath.

"Sorry John, I'm being foolish right now. Although, I might need some motivation." She ran a finger along his chest, her tone sultry. He chuckled as she pressed into him, putting emphasis on her words. "I have to say, Tali. I'm enticed. Maybe after we save Jossa...we could...have some alone time..." Tali giggled and motioned for him to release her, "I look forward to it. Now, we going to save Jossa or not? Or are we going to stand here and shoot seductive words at each other and see who falls into bed first?" Shepard chuckled following after the young quarian as they both entered the elevator.

...

"I'm sorry ma'am, but if I had anything, I would tell you. There is no word from your estate, that's all I can say. I can have a platoon of commandos to that location is an hour, but I gather you'll get there faster." Liara shook her head. To her left was Garrus rubbing her shoulder in reassurance while Shepard sat to her other side, Tali checking her omnitool so she could make a sweep of the area.

"That won't be nessacary, Sergeant Major. You've done all you can, we'll take it from here" Liara said. The Major nodded before disappearing off the shuttle viewscreen. "If Jossa's not there and Hawk is, I shall make him pay." Shepard winced at the tone of Liara's voice, it was dark and cold, none of the nervous, helpless scientist he found on Therum in there. Of course, he got used to Liara's new adopted personality after Illium and dealing with the Shadow Broker, but it still scared him.

He felt the Assault rifle on his back. He took another glance at Liara.  _No. Why did I even consider that? She's my friend, she wouldn't hurt me or Tali or Garrus. Why I'm even considering shooting her is silly thinking at best._ He let his hand slip away from the holster. He heard Mitchell, the Normandy's new pilot, call out, "My god...the estate is fucking battleground. Come and take a look at this Admiral." Shepard went to stand up, and he felt Liara immediately join him. Entering the cockpit, they saw that he was right. The place was alight, fire engulfing the building as black smoke trailed into the atmosphere.

"Get us down at the Atrium, now Mitchell. Open the hatch for immediate insertion!" Liara nodded and prepared to jump out. The shuttle door opened, Shepard bracing to jump. Tali joined him, "What are we doing?" He turned to her and motioned his head to the area down below, "Were jumping. Things just got more urgent." Tali widened her eyes and looked down there, "I'm not..." Mitchell shouted out to them, "Go! Go! Go!" Shepard nodded and grabbed a hold of Tali's waist, pulling her off the aircraft with him. Liara with Garrus quickly followed.

"JJJOOOOOHHHHHNNNNNNNN!" Tali screamed as they fell through the air towards the ground, the Kodiak shuttle flying up and above the building. He quickly arched his back to the ground so that he would impact it, not Tali. His cybernetics and more masculine form would absorb the impact, but Tali would be crushed. He felt his body shudder at the impact, but he survived nonetheless. Tali rolled off of him, struggling to her feet. Liara did the same, helping Garrus up. Shepard stood up and looked towards Tali as she slapped him, "Don't ever do that again!"

He chuckled, "Yes, ma'am." He turned to the others, "To the estate, double time people! Liara, you know where Jossa is, lead the way!" Liara nodded, rushing up ahead. Garrus kept close behind her, Shepard trailing third while Tali stayed at the rear to provide shotgun support and to wear off any wouldbe flankers. They entered the building, spotting an elevator almost immediately.

Liara rushed them in before closing the elevator door, hitting the upper deck. It wasn't long before they got there and they rushed out. The corridor was a bloody war zone, with shards of glass, broken ceiling boards scattered all over. "No..." Liara stopped as she saw a dead Cerberus soldier, a sniper most likely by the Mantis rifle next to the body, thrown up against the wall, his head twisted at a irregular angle. Shepard read the name tag.  _Ricky Peters._ They continued into the room that supposedly held Jossa on the right, and found the bodies of multiple dead asari commandos, their remains ripped to shreds by the force of a gatling gun.  _A gunship. Shit._ "Liara, we should keep it quiet we've got..." His words of reason were cut off as he continued to examine the room.

Missiles at torn up the room pretty bad, with the glass shattered all over, and most of the furniture ripped to shreds. What he noticed more was the lack of Jossa and the fact that Liara was standing over the unconscious form of another asari. At least he hoped she was unconscious. It was Liara's father, Aethyta. He looked at Garrus, "Cover the doorway, Tali sweep the room." They both nodded, going about their tasks, Garrus equipping his Mattock and moving into the doorway.

Tali picked up a children's toy and a single tear ran down her cheek as she remembered what happened on Rannoch the last time she looked at a toy. She had come running out, screaming into the embrace of her lifemate. Why did she scream over a toy? Because it put haunted images in her head of geth slaughtered children...

She dropped the toy and shook the thoughts from her head before moving further into the room. Shepard placed his rifle on the ground and helped Liara sit her father against the table. Now they could see why she was unconscious; a large bump on her forehead suggested someone whacked her head into the table. All of a sudden, Aethyta's eyes shot open and she released a biotic shockwave that sent Liara and Shepard flying into the ground. Tali immediately spun around, shotgun bared. Garrus had also come in, immediately helping Liara up. But Tali looked pissed, like her eyes, he couldn't see behind the mask, but he bet rage filled them.

Before he could stop her, Tali rushed forward. The asari matriarch launched another shockwave, but even her wisdom was no match for a quarian female driven by primal instinct. Tali combat rolled left and growled before leaping onto the asari. "NOONE HURTS MY MATE!" The voice he heard was not Tali's, it was one more sinister, one that only belonged to another side of Tali. He knew her olfactory filters were off, so she could smell. He saw her raise a hand to punch the matriarch before she could recover. He had to stop this, now.

He leapt up and charged into Tali, forcing her into the ground. She hissed and growled, trying desperately kicking and punching, but none of them fazed him. The kicks definitely winded him, but he easily recovered. "Smell me." He said plain and simple. He knew from the experience on Illium where the same thing had happened, although for entirely different reasons, how quarian primacy works. If she could smell her mate's scent, she would calm down. Tali began sniffing the area, looking for her mate's scent. Liara and Garrus were dumbfounded while Aethyta observed the odd ritual.

Finally she stopped and looked at him, "Mate. Safe." Shepard nodded and he felt Tali embrace him. He didn't let go, but she was squeezing hard. "Wait, what in ancestors name am I..." He felt Tali loosen up and fall to the floor looking at the Matriarch and then back at Shepard, who was smiling. She covered her vocalizer with one hand, "I did something embarassing didn't I. Keelah..."

He stood up and helped her to her feet, "Actually, you came to our rescue. Who do you think disabled the Matriarch?" Tali turned to the Matriarch and then to her hands, "I took down a...no, your exaggerating." Aethyta shook her head, "You sure ain't kiddo, I watched it all. Well, you did attack me after all. Damn, your fast. You dodged my shockwave like it was some nuisance." Tali rolled her eyes, "I'm not a child, I'm twenty-six years old!" Aethyta laughed, "And I'm close to nine hundred and fourty one. I've been around ever since before the Krogan Rebellions. So to me, your a kid. Kids to us Asari are one to ninety year olds."

Tali raised a brow, "Damn. Okay then." Aethyta gave a whistle, "I've seen quarians fight to protect their lifemates before. My mother took me to Rannoch when she was told to hold some training with quarian biotic marines. She let me watch. Mother made the mistake of using a male as her target. She didn't know that she had a lifemate, and she didn't know how protective they were. Next thing you know, my mother is on the ground, a giant scratch on her face and the male was calming his lifemate down. If I had to guess, the way she acted, she's either bonded to you..." She pointed to Shepard, "Or my daughter's lucky, and she bonded to you. Which means the quarian must be Jossa's lost mother!" Tali's eyes widened at the suggestion.  _I'm not a lesbian! Oh wait...Asari are monogendered. Which means...Keelah! Why can't they be multigenered!_ "No no no. You got it wrong, I'm bonded to John." She said, indicating Shepard, her actual lifemate. Liara just shrugged, "She's just a friend dad. Nothing more. Garrus here...he's my bondmate." Garrus chuckled, "Wouldn't say that just yet. Now, don't we have..."

Shepard shook things back into focus.  _Idiot._ "Jossa, where the hell is Jossa!?" Aethyta began to pulse with energy, "Cerberus took her! Connor Faringar was leading them! I knew they were coming so I contacted Barak, a contact of mine in Cerberus and a long time friend, to betray Connor. But he failed! They got Jossa..." Shepard's face flared in anger.  _So it wasn't Hawk, it was Connor! I thought he was better than that!_ He composed himself and turned back to the Matriarch, "How long ago?"

Aethyta entered pensive thought before responding, turning back to Shepard, "I was unconscious..." then she saw the clock, "Goddess, I've been knocked out for an hour and a half!" Shepard cursed as he slammed his fist into the table. Liara however, had someone else to take her anger out on. Flaring in biotic energy, Aethyta suddenly felt herself lifted up and smashed into a wall. Shepard snapped around and saw Liara, more angrier than ever, "YOU WERE MEANT TO PROTECT HER! WHAT KIND OF GUARDIAN ARE YOU!?" Aethyta struggled, but even a Matriarch could not break the hold Liara had over her.

"I...was...knocked..." Liara pulsed even brightier, "NOT GOOD ENOUGH! HOW COULD YOU LET CONNOR GET THE BETTER OF YOU!? I SHOULD HAVE DONE THIS LONG AGO..." Liara prepped her SMG and pointed it at Aethyta. Garrus tried to intervene, but met Liara's shoulder, tumbling to the ground. Letting go of Tali, Shepard raced forward and threw his fist into the SMG, knocking it out of her hand and distracting her long enough for her biotics to drop, allowing Aethyta to escape. Tali went to Aethyta's assistance.

Liara threw a shockwave into Shepard, but he simply countered with...with...

"John?"

He looked at Tali and when he turned back saw Liara pinned against a wall. His hands were covered in biotic energy.  _Not again._ "You never told me you had biotics!" Shepard shook his head, "I've had them since I was born. I never used them because...because I hated them. They always caused me pain. They offered me a spot at Grissom Academy, but I rejected it. The only time I ever used biotics was...was on Elysium." He held Liara against the wall with as much strength as he could muster, "YOU MUST STOP THIS LIARA! IT IS NOT AETHYTA'S FAULT!" He dropped his hands and watched the glow disappear from them, and Liara fell to the ground on all fours. She slowly got up, her face still contorted in rage.

"Oh really? So are you going to say it wasn't your fault that Hellion took Rael? Your son was taken because of your incompotence!" Shepard felt like he'd been hit by a tonne of bricks. He wanted to fall into the nearest seat and just hide. Not because he felt betrayed, but because she was right. Then he heard Garrus' voice, "Liara, that's not fair and you know it!" Tali's voice rose over his, "HOW DARE YOU PIN THE BLAME ON HIM!" He looked up to see Tali, enraged once again charging at Liara. But she was ready this time. Liara grabbed Tali in a Singularity.

The singularity exploded, sending Tali into a wall. Shepard got up to tackle Liara, but he was beaten to the punch. Liara slammed into a wall with such force, it would have killed a human, but asari were different. As fragile as they looked, they were as tough as krogan when they wanted to be. However what baffled him was that neither him or Aethyta did it. No, standing in the corner was one pissed off quarian, her suit illuminated in pure blue light.  _Tali..._

She stood there, fists clenched. She frowned at her newfound power, but also refocused on her newfound enemy. She ran up and grabbed Liara by the throat, "Friends help each other, reassure each other, they don't chastise them for things they didn't do wrong, you asari  _fre'eg_!" She squeezed tighter. Shepard rushed up, "Let go, Tali. Just...let go. She's a lost woman, she doesn't deserve the fate you're giving her. Please..." He put a hand on her glowing arm, "let go." She did so, letting go and dropping Liara to the floor. She felt the biotic energy rush from her body, "I'm...I'm...I'm a...biotic. But how..." Shepard tried to think through all the likely scenarios. He couldn't find one.

She hugged Shepard, looking for reassurance that these powers wouldn't kill her. They would probably put a strain on her immune system though, and that scared him. "Don't worry we'll find out, as for Jossa, lets just hope she's okay." Liara stood up and excepted Garrus' hand up.

"And pray to the goddess that both she and Rael are alright."

...

Shepard burst into his cabin, not even taking notice of the glowing terminal that indicated he had new messages. He unlatched his helmet and threw it onto the sofa before moving to unlatch the rest of his armor. As always, Tali rushed to his aid, unscrewing numerous armor pieces while he worked on others. Finally, he was only in his shirt and pants, his armor lay under the table. He fell into the bed backwards looking upwards.

Tali joined him, right next to him she fell and they both looked up at the stars above the cabin windows. He took her right hand in his left and squeezed it. "Biotics Tali. This is something...unexpected. I didn't know you were a biotic." Tali scoffed, "and I didn't know you were one either." Shepard smiled, "I guess that's true. But a quarian biotic Tali? Those are pretty much unheard of." Tali giggled, and turned to face him once before looking back at the ceiling. "Back during the times before our exile, they weren't. We had a whole division devoted to them. Still, that's not the point. I'm a biotic, revelation. I can be officially labelled a Sentinel. I'm a engineer and a biotic. Shala's going to...what's that human idiom? Flip when she hears about this." Shepard continued to sqeeze her hand, "Don't worry, I know someone who can help teach us how to control our powers."

Tali frowned, "Biotic Training? Why not go to Grissom Academy?" Shepard laughed and shook his head, "Okay Tali, three things. 1. Bellerophon is rampaging the galaxy and will assault Earth soon. Grissom training takes years to formulate. We don't have that time. 2. Its a school for young kids, not full adults. 3. We need thorough combat training, not simply harnessing it." Tali nodded in agreement to all three of his points, "Then who could possibly teach us?" Shepard smiled and looked at her, "Guess." Tali sighed, "I hate guessing, you know that, just spit it out." Shepard chuckled, "Fine."

"Samara."

Tali giggled, "I should have known. For some reason I was expecting Miranda or Jack." Shepard laughed, "Miranda is hardly a teacher and Jack is used to teaching kids, not adults. Samara's perfect. She's an Asari, most logical choice." Tali sighed lying back and then remembering that she had almost killed a friend. "John, about what happened on Thessia. With Liara..."

"Don't...you reacted out of natural habit. Stop beating yourself up about something that isn't controllable." Tali nodded but then giggled. Shepard raised a brow at the sudden change in mood, "What's so funny?" Tali continued laughing, "You. I was telling you the exact same thing a couple of weeks ago." Shepard rolled his eyes in amusement, "Come here you..." He rolled ontop of Tali before she could escape, and they both laughed playfully as he held her between his legs. Eventually she stopped resisting. "You know, you did promise..."

"I know. I haven't forgotten..." Her fingers reached up, and she pressed the nessacary switches to remove her mask. Laying it on the bed she removed the helmet and then the hood and within seconds, she found her lips pressed against his. They stayed in the same state before Shepard began unbuttoning his shirt and Tali began removing her realk. She broke he kiss and stopped him for a moment. Bringing up her omnitool, she pressed a few buttons and locked the door. She grinned, "No more interruptions this time."

Shepard returned the grin, "EDI, make sure noone interrupts us. Anyone wants to see me, tell them to leave a message." With that Tali ripped his shirt off and threw it away just as Shepard helped her remove the last bit of her realk. It didn't take long, but soon they were pretty much naked. Only the sounds of two lifemates making love could be heard in the cabin for the rest of the night.

...

6 hours later, Tali woke up next to Shepard, both of them naked but covered by bedsheets. She looked up to see what looked down to see Shepard's hand cupping her breast and heard him mutter in his sleep. She sighed as she realized that the nightmare had been the advent of that.  _Keelah._  Tali rolled her eyes as she just left the hand there, kissing him on the cheek before returning her head to its rightful position; on his chest.

She let herself drift back to sleep slowly, but her body had other plans. Her eyes dropped quickly and she found herself drifting into happy and blissful sleep.

**You're probably wondering 'What? No Chapter for 'Mass Effect 3: How It Could Have Happened?' Like I said, that will take longer than normal and it is pretty long mind. Besides, this chapter is just bugging to get out. I couldn't resist the temptation of revealing Tali's status as a Biotic. How did she become one? Find out in Chapter 43.**

"Freedom is a lie, but violence is very real."

\- Admiral Atiffy Reinheart before his fleet engaged turian forces near the now defunct- Arcturus Station, First Contact War.


	44. There Is No Such Thing As Magic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cerberus makes plans to kill one of their own. Hellion unveils his strategy. Shepard trains.

**TO SURVIVE II:**

**AFTERMATH**

_**There Is No Such Thing As Magic** _

_A flash of white._

That's all Connor could see after he had detonated the device was just pure white light, stretching across the city as it enveloped it, the beauty of the light a deceptive mask for the destructive explosion it originated from. The explosion threw Connor off his feet and sent him slamming into the ground behind him, hard. Searing pain followed the fall, causing Connor to shake in uncontrollable gestures of discomfort. He watched as the building collapsed, sending hundreds of batarian terrorists to their deaths. It was a glorious sight, yet he felt a pang of concern.  _Its a city. What if there had been...no, city was deserted. No way anyone still lived here._

The building finished his fall with a huge crash, the ground shaking as if there had been a earthquake. Bits of debris spread out all over the place and intermingled in it was the bodies of the batarian terrorists.  _Rot in hell Balak._ Connor tried to stand up but a fresh wave of searing pain shot through his abdomen and he fell back again. Instead, he crawled over to a nearby wall and sat up against it, the pain barely noticeable. He felt his side and brought his hand only to see a dark red patch all over his hand. Blood, and lots of it. Without waiting any longer, Connor turned to the wound on his side to see blood oozing out. This blood wasn't fresh though, the armor had long sealed over the wound. After applying medigel to the wound, he had set off the bomb, destroying the building, and almost forgotten about it.

The shot had been from a Carnifex, one with a modified scope, and Balak had used it. Connor looked left to see his crashed gunship, the main wing ripped off by the explosion of a missile. Not just any missile, the batarians had managed to acquire a older variant of Javelin torpedo, the thing easily ripped through the gunship's outer shielding and destroyed the gunship. He never stood a chance, but neither did the batarians. Ignoring the pain in his side, he moved his arm up as soon as he heard the comms in his left ear start beeping. Reaching up, he tagged the comm.

"Faringar, Special Tactics and Reconissance here" the voice that responded wasn't familiar but he didn't care, it was turian and turian meant Council pickup forces. "Is the mission complete over?" Connor nodded as he drew in breath, "Positive. Batarian forces neatralized. I repeat, batarian forces neatralized. Requesting pickup at..." the turian didn't even let him finish as he spoke, "Copy that. Then we hope you enjoy your stay on Aratoht, Faringar." Connor's eyes opened wide as he stared blankly at the building in front of him. "What the fuck are you talking about?" The turian was grinning, he could tell, it was in the reptillian bastard's voice, "The Council has deemed you unworthy of becoming the first human spectre. Maybe David Anderson will fair better. You just helped in slaughtering innocent civilians, not going to look good on your report now is it?" Connor's eyes darted back to the dead batarian bodies.

"Not civilians! They were armed and working for Balak! And what the hell do you mean I'm not worthy you slimy council piece of shit!" Connor was infuritated in a hundred different ways, but there was one main fury: betrayal. "Armed because of Balak. The terrorists armed the civilians so they could be used as cannon fodder against any attackers. But the public isn't going to know that, but they won't know about you either. Have fun with the batarians, they've got a whole fleet inbound on Aratoht. Goodbye." Connor's face flooded with red as he grabbed the comm and threw it away, picking up his pistol and using the butt to crush the mic.

 _Shit, now what. Entire batarian fleet._ Connor didn't know what he wanted or could do. All avenues for escape were gone, the council had betrayed him and left him for dead and the batarians were about to rain hell upon his position. His omnitool then flared to life. He raised an eyebrow as he raised it and pressed open, the face of a man with machine like blue eyes staring at him, "Mr. Faringar, I've noticed your in a bit of trouble. I think we can arrange a rescue for you." Connor frowned at the omnitool, clearly having no clue on who the hell this guy was or what he wanted, but he looked friendly enough. Friendly in Connor's book meant deception, he learned that the hard way.

"Who the hell are you and how do you know me?" The man smiled, his cigarette now placed in ash tray. "I am simply known as the Illusive Man. I lead a organization called Cerberus that aims to preserve humanity no matter the cost. It is obvious the Council has abandoned you, and I'm offering you assistance." Connor raised a brow. He had never heard of Cerberus except for the fact it had once been a Systems Alliance Black Operations Unit that went rogue.  _When you form Black Operations Units, always expect them to go rogue._ "Its not like I have a choice." The man called Illusive let out a little chuckle as he answered, "No, it isn't. Now, I can't help you directly but I can tell that a Batarian Freighter nearby will be departing Aratoht soon. If you stow away on it, you can not only escape the batarian fleet but rejoin your human brethren. We are sending a frigate to secure the ship."

Connor nodded shutting down his omnitool. He had learned not to trust anyone, especially Black Ops organizations, but in his current predicament, he really had no choice. Ignoring the worse pain he thought he could ever suffer, he stood up and began running towards the coordinates the Illusive Man had sent him. With any luck, he would reach there very soon. If only he could run a little fas-

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

Connor shot straight up and awoke from his dream and for the second time, hit his head on the top of the bunk. Rubbing his sore head he unintentionally gathered biotic energy in his fist and smashed the alarm at the side of his bed, stopping the insistent beeping. He knew that his shift was due to start in half an hour, but he felt warmth press against his right side that made him just want to curl back up and go back to sleep.  _I'm a ruthless bastard and now suddenly I'm getting warm and cozy? Fuck._ Turning he already saw the source of the warmth. A naked three-fingered hand, small in nature, lay on his chest, limp without movement. He followed the hand down its attached arm and found the host; a beautiful quarian woman sleeping right next to him curled up. Xen could verbally be insane and ruthless, but physically, she was just beautiful. To not stay so would be completely ignorant. He didn't want to wake up the slubbering quarian, but he didn't want to get out of bed either. He remembered the time they had shared the night before, and how they seeemd to be frequent.

He was surprised the alarm hadn't woken her up.  _Well, I guess the quarians are used to sleeping against noise so that explains it._ He rubbed his eyes, trying to get rid of the annoying fuzzyiness from them. He gently picked up the quarian's hand and moved it to ontop of her chest, lightly kissing it as he went. He quickly and efficiently leapt out of the bed, landing a 2 meters below. He looked back at the top of the bunk, still unsure why he needed it. Turning to his locker, he got out a shirt and pants, fitting them on. As soon as he reached for his armor he heard a loud rap on the door. "Argh...damn it. Enter!"

The door opened, Hawk and the Illusive Man stepping inside, five Phantoms outside. Connor shook his head as he approached Hawk and Illusive, saluting once in position. Hawk saluted back, but Illusive simply waited for them to return to normal stance, "Mr. Faringar, we know your shift hasn't started yet, but we needed to talk to you." Connor looked at the Phantoms outside, "What about our phantoms over there? They here to talk with mouths or swords?" Illusive looked at Hawk and Hawk motioned for the Phantoms to leave, and leave they did. Once gone they turned back to him. Connor leaned in closer for a whisper, "Could we talk somewhere else?" Illusive raised a brow and Hawk was just opening his mouth to ask why when Connor motioned to the slumbering quarian on his bunk. Hawk rolled his eyes as he spoke, "Very well, wouldn't want to wake Mrs. Faringar up." Connor raised a brow at Hawk but lightly laughed as the three of them stepped outside.

 _Daro'Faringar vas Moreh does sound a little bit strange, but who cares? Its Daro who matters to me._ They walked along the corridors of Bellerophon before arriving in the ship's briefing room. Stopping to make sure the door is sealed, Hawk then turned to Connor, "We need a progress report on Behemoth's completion." Connor frowned at the sudden question, and was surprised further by the concern hidden his voice. Crossing his arms he spoke, "Close to 97%. Finishing up testing the weapon systems and engines. Power is up in majority of the ship and the hangar bay is stocked with fighter squadrons. The lower decks are ready to accomadate a total of seven frigates, and can complete all of Bellerophon's main weapons along with ten MACs, fifty javelin torpedo banks and multiple gatling weapons ship wide. We are just finishing upgrading the shields."

"Excellent. I want it done by tommorrow." Connor snapped his look at Illusive and he had to stop his mouth from gaping open, "With all due respect sir, that's a pretty tall order!" Illusive threw the cigarette he was holding onto the briefing table and snapped his own look at Connor, "Its a simple matter of upgrading the shields is it not?" Connor nodded and opened his mouth to continue but Hawk stopped him with a opened palm, "Then get it done Connor. Hellion will be bringing us the the data on Earth's orbital defense codes soon. When he gets back, we will be heading out for Earth immediately. Once we have Earth, we shall then launch an all out assault on the Citadel and take it."

Connor nodded as Hawk dismissed him from the room, "And Connor..." Connor stopped in his tracks, the door opened, just waiting for him to keep going. He turned around and caught Hawk's fixed gaze, "Are you sure we can trust Xen?" Connor considered the question for a couple of seconds. He already had the answer, but he had to make sure he knew how to word it. Finally, he turned to Hawk again, "With my life. She will not defect, I promise you that sir." Not caring about insubordination, Connor turned back and left the room, the door sliding closed behind him.

Hawk raised a brow as he crossed his arms and turned back to Illusive. "I have to agree with Connor sir, why attack this early? Are you worried Shepard will find us?" Illusive shook his head, "Shepard is a tenacious man, Hawk. But he will not find us, that I can guarantee you. No, I think the time has come to show the galaxy that Cerberus will not go quietly. Earth and the Citadel will be ours. But first, Hellion must acquire the information on a very important target."

Hawk cocked his head in confusion, "I thought we were getting Earth's defense codes?" Illusive chuckled, something that was rare with him, he rarely laughed. Hawk was one of the very rare people to see this. "Yes. But he is also moving to acquire something so much more important. Something the Leviathans need eliminated before it can rise up." Hawk simply gave a grunt as he turned to leave. Then something hit him as he turned back, "What about Connor and Xen? Are they the only ones not told about this?"

Illusive nodded, "Xen is a quarian, she simply can't be trusted. As for Connor...he's never been a Cerberus loyalist, he's only with us because he owes me for saving him on Aratoht. I don't expect him to not stab me in the back at some point. He can't be depended on." Hawk nodded as he left the room, his head bowed.

_Maybe its for the best. But soon, Earth and the Citadel will fall to Cerberus' might._

_And everyone will know humanity's true power._

...

"Come on, wake the fuck up!"

Tali's eyes shot open immediately as she heard the harsh, feminine words hit her ear like an assault. Her head was pounding from using her biotics on Thessia and she could imagine Shepard felt the same. She still had yet to ask him about that. As she turned she saw the familiar tattoed form of Jack standing at the end of their bed and she gasped in surpise, "Keelah! Jack what are you doing in here!" Shepard must have heard her words and not Jack's, because he immediately shot up, looking at Jack, "Jack?"

Jack rolled her eyes at the two of them, seemingly not impressed. Why she had the right to not be impressed when she had invaded their privacy was completely beyond them, "Come on, get the hell up! I heard you have biotics and you don't know how to use them worth shit! So I'm giving you a lesson!" Tali rolled her eyes but Shepard just spoke without hesitation, "I don't want to use them. I hate biotics." Jack scoffed, "HATE biotics? Who the fuck hates biotics?"

Shepard's face flared in anger, "SOMEONE WHO GOT AN ENTIRE ROOM OF CADETS KILLED WITH THEM!" Shepard's outburst both shocked and angered Tali, but then she realized her question had been answered. Shepard's voice toned down to a whisper, "Not to mention the pain I feel when I use them. Everytime I use them I feel like I'm in a Trash Compactor." Jack crossed her arms and looked at him, "Got a whole room of cadets killed? How the fuck?" Shepard eyed her, obviously not enjoying the topic, but he knew Jack was expecting an answer, "Boot Camp, Biotics Subsection. It was like Grissom Academy, but much more efficient, quicker in learning and for use in combat. I was the first one up and I was forced to fight one of...these men who...threatened to kill my...mother. Said she was a dirty...whore. I...flayed him alive using a ability called Reave and then I lost control and...I unleashed a Shockwave that killed everyone. I had to be restrained and sedated to keep me from killing my superiors. Almost killed Anderson too."

Tali put a reassuring hand on his arm, letting him know the old memories wouldn't and shouldn't control him. Jack looked at him with genuine sympathy. "Well, I see why you don't want to use them. But it feels like a Trash Compactor?" Shepard grinned alittle, "Long story. But Tali, how the hell do you have biotics? You never answered that certain question." Tali seemed to lose the smile she had been forming and looking at the bed covers.

"Remember when I...was indoctrinated?" Shepard nodded solemnly, not wanting to remember how Dav had taken the woman he loved and fucked up her mind beyond the point of recognition. He pushed the thought aside. The thought alone that Tali managed to break the indoctrination herself was enough to reassure him. "Yeah" he didn't elaborate, he just waited for her to continue. Tali kept speaking, "After the process, they decided to insert a biotic implant into my body, Dav was confident that due to the high levels of the serum in my body given by Mordin, you remember Mordin's little blue vial, I would be able to survive the trauma. Well, I did, but there was no results. They tried exposing me to element zero, but that didn't work either. In the end they left the chip where it was and presented me to Vido. Until now I'd forgotten all about it."

"So, Dav decided he wanted to turn you into a Sentinel?" Shepard asked, weary. Tali looked at him, noticing the worry, "Don't worry, no control chip was inserted. They were overconfident that the indoctrination would hold. Obviously they were wrong and the bosh'tets paid for it. But yes, he wanted me to be a Sentinel and now we can use it to our advantage." Shepard shook his head, "But why now? What use it only when Liara is threatening me? Why didn't you use it when they kidnapped Rael? Or the other times we were in trouble?" Tali's pensive look didn't help. He wanted answers. Tali had biotics the entire time, and never once used them until now.

"I don't know. I guess it had to do with the chip. It was untested technology, prototype tech utilizing Reaper technology. It was far beyond your standard L3, or the new L4 implants. This was more like an L50, if they existed. It can activate sometimes, and sometimes it won't. Sometimes I'll get a pounding headache or my whole body will ache after using them. And maybe, just maybe, sometimes it won't. Completely unpredictable. But if I could control it..." Jack gave a whistle of impression, "Then you might as well label yourself, 'Tali'Shepard vas Normandy, Queen of Biotic BadAsses.' Then I'd give you a badge of impression for becoming better than me. I'll teach you how to control those powers. You too Shepard." Shepard opened his mouth to respond, but Jack immediately cut him off.

"Don't you dare fuckin-" A more calm and wiser voice interrupted Jack before she could finish her 'words of wisdom with a side of profanity'. He turned to see Samara walking down the steps towards them, "I believe what Jennifer is trying to say is that you need to learn to control your past, don't let it control you. I have been haunted by the death of Morinth for quite awhile, but I moved on to help you stop the Reapers. I never wanted to be a Justicar, but it was my destiny. You must use your biotics Shepard, they are a weapon that could be utilized to decimate the enemy, make them fear you more than they already do. And Tali, with Reaper biotic implants might become the deadliest biotic of all. That's something Cerberus cannot ignore."

"I'm worried about that. If they are Reaper there's a good chance Bellerophon could...indoctrinate her again." Tali shook her head, "I'm strong, John. I promise I won't let myself fall into that state again. Not many escape indoctrination, I'm a lucky one. Which means I can prepare for Bellerophon if he tries it again." Shepard nodded and looked at Jack and Samara, "We will meet you in the Shuttle Bay. As you know we can't really train...naked." Samara gave a light chuckle, something rare with the asari matriarch, and Jack simply stared at him, "I don't know Shepard, I think I'd like it."

Tali fixed her with a glare that said one thing, 'Touch him and I'll rip your hands off'. Jack held her hands up in innocence as she left. Just the door closed they heard Jack's voice, "Wait, did you call me Jennifer in there? How did..." Her voice was cut off as they entered the elevator. They both sat out of the bed and began pulling on clothes as fast as they could manage. Even though Shepard was more familiar with the concept of clothing, Tali managed to finish before him and stood waiting. She wore plain, blue jeans with short sleeve top. Despite her insistence on not doing so, she finally gave into wearing a bra, which Shepard found quite funny.  _Another thing human about her._ Finally finishing up, he took her awaiting hand and stepped into the elevator, hitting the button for Deck 6.

It didn't take long before they reached the Shuttle Bay and the door slid open, allowing them to stand out onto the deck. Jack and Samara stood talking but at the sound of the doors opening, they diverted their attention to Shepard and Tali. "About time you fucking lovers got down here. Never thought you'd stop sucking each others gen..." Shepard raised his fist to his mouth and pretended to cough so as to block out Jack's profanity. Tali was horrified by Jack's words, knowing full well what she was going to say. Samara eyed Jack with a fixed glance before turning towards them. Before she could talk, Jack took over.

"Me and old Mrs. Sherlocky the Biotic have decided to train one at a time. I'll take quarry the quarian, you can go with Samara, Shepard!" Tali stiffened as Jack grabbed her arm. Jack rolled her eyes, "Come on, its not like Shepard will die without you hanging around." Tali still didn't move, "Its not that." Due to Shepard and Samara's nods, they both knew why Tali wasn't budging, and it didn't take long for Jack to hit her epiphany. "Hey don't worry, I might be a bitch sometimes, but I won't deliberately hurt you. Besides if I did, I think Shepard would kill me, biotics or no biotics." Shepard nodded and grinned. Tali finally gave a sigh and left, Jack pulling her over to the otherside of the ship.

Samara was more conventional and allowed Shepard to follow her to the otherside unforcefully. She eventually stopped and faced him. Shepard smiled as Samara glowed with biotics energy, and his followed suit. Then he realized that he wasn't powering up with the energy, he was the one being PICKED UP. Before he could react, Samara threw him across the Shuttle Bay.

He could hear Tali's giggle from a mile away.

"Laugh it up Tali" he mumbled.

This would be a long training session.

...

"SSV Singapore, this is Alliance control, you are cleared for docking. Proceed to docking station A67. Control out." Hellion smiled a huge, smug grin as he glided the commandeered Corvette towards the assigned dock.  _Too easy. Too damn easy._ "Be careful, we have been alerted that a rogue fighter is in the area." Hellion wanted to laugh but held it in.  _Yes, and your talking to him._ He answered as professionally as possible, "Copy that Control, we'll keep an eye out. Singapore out." With the comms disconnected he turned to look at the bodies of the dead Alliance crew. A crew of 34, all executed swiftly by him. The Captain offered the most resistance, but that didn't say much.

He looked at was once the blue and green beauty of Earth, now nothing but craters and orange fires. The planet looked like hell had dropped upon it.  _Hell literally did drop upon it. Damned Reapers. Damn you even more Shepard, we could have used them to rebuild Earth. But no, you just had to destroy them. Still, we have the Leviathans and Bellerophon. Even better then we thought._ He looked back at the datapad the Illusive Man had given him, it contained all the details of his mission. He kept looking at the last paragraph.  _Why the hell is that intel important? I thought our main focus was Earth and the Citadel, but why is this so important that I, one of Cerberus' best infiltration operatives, is sent to retrieve it? Not to mention that the entire Dacius cell has entire battalion ready to respond at will?_

Even Hellion had to admit, something was fishy. He never questioned orders, but he always questioned motives. Of course he followed orders, but it didn't mean he did it blindly. He always looked at the facts first and right now, due to the Illusive Man's vagueness on the topic, it was self-evident that there was something Illusive didn't want him to know; and that was what made it so suspicious.

He felt the ship shudder as it came into contact with the docking clamps. Knocked out of his reverie, he grabbed his silenced Locust SMG and holstered it behind his back, making sure his heavy tungsten blade was hidden well in his back armor, but easily reachable. He reviewed Alliance protocol, they would be inspecting the ship incase it needed repairs. Which meant he had a few unlucky workers to silence. The consequences of them finding the dead Alliance crew and alerting their superiors was too high. Plus, he had a chance to kill some Alliance scum.

Once outside the airlock he hit the decontamination cycle and waited for it to finish. Once done, as predicted, two workers accompanied by a marine waited outside. The marine was an unexpected variable, but it wasn't something he couldn't handle. "Hello, you must be the captain. I've come check on-"

The worker didn't get to finish as Hellion lunged out and snapped his neck. He then reached into his armor and pulled out his knife throwing it into the soldier's jugular vein, silencing him just as he raised his rifle. Hellion then footsweep the other worker, reached backwards, tugged the knife back out and stabbed the worker clean through the forehead. The man's pupils became unfocused as his body slumped to the ground. The soldier desperately tried to breath as a fountain of blood continued to erupt from his severed jugular veins. Hellion merely stepped over the now dead soldier and began pulling him into the ship. Within no time he had moved the three dead bodies into the bridge and had exited again, slapping on his tactical cloak and continuing down the corridor.

The facility was a maze, with a huge amount of zigzag corridors. There were toilets, mess halls, gantry's and all the other things he didn't want. Then he found it.  _Alliance Naval Command._ Hellion smiled as he ran past the sign, making sure he did not get to close to any passing alliance guards. As effective as tactical cloak was, it was useless at close range as anyone would be able to see the distortion in the air. The facility was basically one giant shanamble that served as the temporary HQ for everything Alliance; warships docked here, there was a barracks, a base of operations and Alliance Central, Frontier and Colonial Commands were stationed there. But he wanted Naval Command. There was a huge chance that Admiral Hackett and Admiral Shepard would be there, so he was ordered to kill them on site. Not only would this dent Alliance command's ranks, but killing Hannah Shepard would definitely leave a mark on John Shepard, and that...Illusive Man could use that to his advantage.

Hellion continued to sneak through Alliance HQ, occassionally encountering a patrol of guards ranging from Fireteam sized to just a pair. He even came across one that had decided to drink on duty. Hellion had taught him a lesson in that aspect, one he would unfortunately for him, not be learning from. Apart from that, it was smooth sailing to the Naval Command suite.

When he finally got there, he found the place basically deserted. Hitting the haptic interface, he found a room with a single 5 by 5 meter quantum entanglement communicator, along with numerous support struts accompanied by holoterminals, glowing orange light. The ground was basically metal railing with oval like holes cut into them every milimeter, not to mention how much of a dark grey the color of it was. The room was completely dark and silent aside from the blue glow of the communicator and the orange coloration of the terminals. He ran forward and began typing into one of the terminals.

He may have encountered lots of firewalls, and good firewalls at that, all state-of-the-art, but they were no match for the OSD's containing viruses conjured by Bellerophon itself. He inserted the OSD and immediately found all the firewalls erased, giving him free access to the terminal. He found the data he was looking for in a secure folder dubbed 'Council Race Statuses.' He accessed all the folders and began the download for them onto the OSD. The more information in Cerberus' hands, the better. The download took around 5 minutes, but still the room remained silent.  _Something's not right._ He went to remove the OSD but was stopped when he heard a feminine voice behind him and the click of a pistol switching on, "Get the hell away from that console. And don't even think of touching that OSD." Hellion turned to the source of the voice and found a ginger headed girl, wearing standard Alliance uniform.

Even from a distance the green iris of the girl's eyes and unmistakable voice easily told who the woman was. He laughed, "Kelly Chambers, what a pleasant surprise." Kelly didn't reciprocate the gesture though, simply staring at him down the barrel like he was an annoying ant that needed to be crushed. "Wish I could say the same, Yuri." Hellion hissed at the mention of his actual name, but did not react physically. Kelly had medium grade weapons training, meaning she wasn't some rookie who had never fired a gun. He held up his hands in the air, "Why did you do it Kelly? We offered you so much at Cerberus. Why betray us?"

"Because Shepard opened my eyes, allowed me to see the bigger picture, to see what Cerberus really was. Monsters. Murderers. You conducted horrible experiments, tortured innocent people, killed anyone who wanted to leave and care about noone but humanity's supposed best interests. And now your latest scheme was to control the Reapers. Shepard allowed me to see what kind of sadistic organization Cerberus had become. Now I see you sneaking into Alliance HQ for naval information? What is Cerberus up too?" Hellion chuckled, the grin evident on his features, "Something beyond your comprehension." The voice that had answered wasn't Hellion's though, it was...

 _Impossible! It can't be!_ Kelly seemed to look around the room frantically, her pistol still levelled at Hellion. "Harbinger? But your dead! You can't be alive!" Harbinger's voice roared over the area, "I am not as weak as you may think, organic. Organic life is based on a single corporeal form. Once that form is destroyed, they die with it. It is something you call individuality. We call it weakness. When our vehicle is destroyed, we can simply move our AI processes into a new vehicle. In this case... WE have chosen Bellerophon."

"Are you saying...the Reapers aren't dead? And what do you mean 'we'?" Kelly asked the disembodied voice. Harbinger's voice boomed even louder, but still no guards managed to hear or take notice, "It is simple. Not all Reapers are dead, only our vehicles. Most of us managed to transport our AI functions to a synthetic continegency. In this case, I knew just the vehicle to use. We entered Bellerophon and waited for the envitability of our discovery by Cerberus. During this time, we have fully converted Bellerophon into a Reaper, he shares no trace of Leviathan DNA. The Leviathan's plan has failed. The Leviathans will continue to think they have the upper hand and when they reveal themselves, they shall be extinguished. And once we have our army of slaves, we will repair our vehicles, so the cycle shall restart anew. We are the Harbinger of your ascension!"

"You traitorous-" Hellion began to say before his body danced on the floor as Harbinger's voice boomed, "ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL!" Kelly watched in horror as Hellion transformed into what looked like the human version of a possessed Collector, just much more hideous. Hellion's once human veins now glowed in orange light as pure fire burned out of the human's armor, his armor glowing a fierce orange color as he stared at Kelly.

Before Kelly could react in time, she felt herself pushed back by a orb of dark energy, her back slamming into the quantum entangler. The pistol slid from her grip, falling to the ground with a loud clang. Kelly tried to get up but froze in position as she saw the Harbinger-controlled Hellion loom over her, eyes full of orange loathing. Kelly tried to scream but it turned into a gasp as Hellion slid his knife and stabbed her clean through the chest, blood gurgling out of her mouth. She tried to scream but nothing but pain seared into her as Hellion pushed the blade deeper in, twisting it as he did. "YOU WILL KNOW MY POWER. WE ARE BELLERINGER. AND WE ARE LEGION." At that moment, Kelly could only hear Harbinger and Bellerophon's voices, both mixed together in a horrific cacophony.

Kelly began to gurgle more blood out of her mouth, a single tear running down her cheek as she saw Hellion rear the blade to her throat.  _I'm sorry I never said goodbye Shepard. Look after Tali, she deserves to be happy with you. Goodbye Garrus, Samara, James, Grunt, Jack..._ Kelly didn't get to finish as Hellion slammed down and sliced her throat clean open, her blood spilling over his face like a fountain, her screams nothing a but a gurgled mess. Kelly's eyes went distant before she finally went limp, blood oozing all over the table, covering the blue light in dark red crimson.

Hellion quickly found himself looking back at the entrance, two guards looking at him in horror. Before they could break their trance, he lifted them up and threw them into the ground, emptying an entire clip of his SMG into their bodies to make sure they were dead. Belleringer then decided to release Hellion, and he returned to normal. "What the hell happe..." Looking around he saw the gory mess that was once Kelly and the two dead soldiers. "Dear god..." Ripping himself out of his trance he yanked out the OSD and ran for the Corvette, hoping to god this was worth it.

_The time for the final assault has begun..._

...

"You want me to throw Grunt!? Are you nuts?" Shepard asked the unfazed justicar, who only seemed to continue eying Shepard. He looked across the room for a show of support, but everyone abandoned him. Jack had a look of 'I'm going to love this' and Tali seemed to simply give a smug smile, one he liked seeing at times, but right now was just not nessacary and it was annoying him. Why did Samara want him to throw a 500 pound krogan using biotics? It seemed pointless and stupid. But if he wanted to learn to control his biotics...

"It is part of your training. We have trained for hours and I want to know if you have at least mastered the ability called 'Throw.'" Shepard sighed and nodded, motioning for Grunt to approach. The anticipated krogan quickly approached, evidently looking forward to his battlemaster's command. "What would you have me do, Battlemaster" Grunt asked him as he stood towering over his commander, looking down on him as if he was higher than him. Shepard shook away this thought as he responded, "Simple. Back up 10 meters and charge at me." Grunt looked confused, if a krogan could, at the order, "You want me to challenge you?" Shepard rolled his eyes, "No, I'm not a krogan Grunt, I'm simply asking you to charge at me. Its part of my training."

Grunt kept up to his name sake and...well, grunted, before running backwards towards the shuttle before turning to his battlemaster. Shepard closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening his eyes again and nodding.  _You can do this._ He saw Grunt begin to charge at him. He steadied his body and concentrated hard. His gaze seemed to drift to Tali, who was looking at him. She gave him a smile as well as a thumbs up, something she learned off him, and his confidence was boosted. Turning to Grunt he summoned every bit of biotic power he mustered and when Grunt was no less than 2 meters away, he fired a biotic pulse towards the krogan.

The krogan didn't immediately stop but when he did, he was covered from head to toe in dark energy and he was yanked back like a slingshot, smashing into the hangar door, leaving a small dent as the krogan got back to his feet. Jack clapped ethusiastically while Samara nodded in impression. Garrus chuckled as he held out his talon to Zaeed, "Hand it over, Massani." Zaeed rolled his eyes and reached into his pocket, "Goddamn it, turian." His hand returned holding a credit chit that quickly slid into the turian's open hand. "Thank you." Shepard looked at him with a raised brow, and Garrus chuckled. "Don't worry Shepard, just teaching Zaeed a lesson in faith. He believed Grunt would smash into you, I believed you'd pick him up and throw him."

"You placed a bet on me? Come on Zaeed, after all we've been through..." Zaeed guffawed, "Your still a slow ass to me Shepard." Shepard rolled his eyes in mock offense, "Thanks for the vote of confidence." Jack smiled before turning to Tali, "What are you looking so smug about princess? Its your turn." Tali simply shrugged. Jack smiled at her confidence before turning to Javik and pointing at him.

Javik looked at Tali with wide eyes, and Tali gave him a mock glare. "The quarian is emotionally insane. She will kill me." Javik stated clearly. Shepard looked at Tali with a raised eyebrow. She noticed this and smiled, "Explain later." He raised his head in a 'rigggghhhhttttt' kind of way. Jack chuckled, "What's wrong? Scared of a quarian? What happened to big old 'I'm superior to you primitives.'? Come on, you pussy." Javik looked at Tali once more and shook his head, walking towards the area that Grunt had previously occupied, who had now rejoined Wrex's side. Joker's voice came over the comm, "Come on Prothy the Prothean!" Javik stopped and looked at the ceiling, "That airlock is still waiting for you, pilot." Joker's gulp was audible and Javik smiled as he stopped at the wall and turned to meet Tali's gaze.

Javik saw Tali's nod and charged right at her. The quarian closed her eyes and tried to summon her biotics, but nothing happened but a powerful headache.  _Well If I can't do a biotic life, I can at least do this!_ With that, she usurped all her energy into her right fist and waited for Javik to get close enough. Once he was in a meter of her, she reared her fist and hit Javik square in the gut, sending him flying two meters and slamming into the ground. The fist lost the energy balled in it as she held her head in pain, her head was throbbing.

"That's right! Improvisation! I love this girl!" Tali giggled as she held her head in pain. Joker's voice came over the comm, dripping with sarcasm, "Oh no! Jack is in love with Tali! Don't tell me the Normandy has become a home for lesbians! Wait...Tali isn't monogendered or anything like the asari is she? Otherwise it would be totally fine! Not for Shepard maybe..." Shepard and Jack glared at the comm, followed by Tali but she just as quickly fell into Shepard's arms, rubbing her sore head. Shepard just wrapped his arms around Tali as Jack spoke, "I wasn't being literal you vegetablized sack of shit! Don't make me help Javik throw you out the airlock!"

Joker simply didn't respond, which was probably for the best. "Oooowwwww...my head...keelah it hurts..." Everyone turned to see Tali, with her head buried into Shepard's chest. Her groaning of pain didn't make things any better. Just above a whisper, Shepard spoke, "Better take you to the medbay, get some headache tablets." He then turned to his crew, "Dismissed. Jack, Samara, we'll continue this in the morning. Tali needs some rest." Everyone began to file out, followed by Jack and Samara.

Tali objected immediately, "No. Gabby and...Kenneth need my help...in engineering. Duties to attend..." He held a finger to her lips, "No. You need rest. You can't work with a throbbing headache. Medbay then cabin." Tali just gave up, knowing her captain had made up his mind. Before they could though, he heard EDI's voice, "All hands, this is EDI speaking. Initiating General's Quarters. Kelly Chambers has found Hellion on Earth. She is currently in pursuit and I have set a course for the planet. This is not a drill, I repeat, this is not a drill. General's Quarters, General's Quarters."

Turning to Tali he gave a sigh, "Go to the medbay and talk to Chakwas about those pills. I'll deal with Hellion." They entered the elevator and Shepard immediately hit Deck 2. Once there, he saw the door slide open and he was about to step out when Tali grabbed his arm. He turned to object to whatever insistence she had on coming but found none. "Make sure to put an extra two bullet holes in his head. One from me, and...for Garu." Shepard nodded, "I will. He will pay for this." He kissed her on the cheek before she stepped back into the elevator and hit Deck 3, the door closing over her petite form. And with that, Shepard headed for the Armoury.

_Game over Cerberus. Whatever your planning, ends here._

**Bosh'tet:** Thought by many non-quarians to be the quarian equivalent of "son of a bitch" or "bastard." Surprisingly, it is actually the name of a animal native to Rannoch, similiar to Earth rats. It is a rodent to lives my scavenging, but has a very low intelligence, is quite irritating and lazy. It eats the excrement of other animals, using what's let of it as a home and the undigested bits as sustenance. It will eat any dung, even its own. It will defend its dung pile at any cost, even its own kind, and has been known to fight to the death. Quarians used it as a curse word for people who are being stupid, unresponsive, irritating or fighting for a worthless cause or reason.

**Its closer to the end then you think my friends. The endgame is coming. And everyone will see the conclusions they want. However, not everyone will come out unscarred. And worse, many may not even return alive. You can only hope for victory.**

"I'm the best thief in the business, not the most famous. Have to watch my step to keep it that way."

\- Kasumi Goto


	45. Judge, Jury, Executioner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At the height of their strategy, civil war overtakes Cerberus. The Normandy burns hard for Earth.

**TO SURVIVE II:**

**AFTERMATH**

_**Judge, Jury, Executioner** _

"What's an asari?" Rael asked the blue skinned girl next to him. They had talked for hours on end and anyone would have thought they were brother and sister, but they were just two friends brought together by similiar predicaments. Jossa eyed him back with almost similiar curiosity, but laughed lightly when Rael wondered what her species was. "Asari are like humans, we have the five fingers and five toes of a human but everything else is different. Mummy told me that these tentacles on my head are not actual tentacles, but I figured she was lying. What about you? What's a quarian?"

"I'm not quarian. My daddy called me a 'quman.' I have no idea what it is but he calls me a human at one time and then quarian the other. I have no idea what either are." Jossa smiled and laughed a little bit louder at Rael's misunderstanding of the galaxy. Jossa had learned a great deal from her mum. Her mother had fought with John Shepard, a hero. Rael was just another child that had been kidnapped along with her. Rael had proposed a escape plan, but Jossa knew the chances of escaping were slim to none. Bothering would be a complete waste of effort.

"Jossa, I know we can escape. Why don't we try?" Rael asked and Jossa rolled her eyes and let out a sigh. Rael's persistence was admirable, but it was also irritating. Why couldn't he just accept the clearly evident truth that escape wasn't possible? He should simply submit. "Because I don't want to die trying. I'm waiting for my mummy to rescue me. And my daddy." Rael looked at her and let out the same sigh, his eyes full of sadness as he entered the same posture as Jossa was currently in; a fetal position. "My daddy taught me to never give up. He says I have his...strength?" Rael said the last word like he was testing it in his mouth, like it was a question more than a statement of truth.

Jossa turned to look at Rael, "Who was your dad? And your mum?" the young asari asked. Rael looked at her curiously before looking back at the mass effect field that so easily caged them. "My daddy is named Jon Shepherd. And my mummy is Tale'Shepherd." Jossa snapped her drifting look of melancholy back to Rael, "Your my daddy's son?" Rael looked at her with confusion, "No! Daddy is my daddy!" Jossa shook her head, "You don't get it Rael! We are brother and sister!" Rael raised an eyebrow collectively as he pondered the new situation. "No, if you were really my sis, you'd try to escape with me." With that, Rael stood up and approached the nearest vent panel, examining it.

Jossa looked back at the floor.

_He's right you know. I'm sitting here, giving up when I could be helping him. I could show mummy that I'm capable of looking after myself! That I won't give up! Instead, I'm sitting here feeling sorry for myself. And my father's son is Rael? Was this destiny? Were we meant to meet each other? What if this is all chance and we are toys for the white uniformed men? No, I'm not dying here. Mummy and daddy wouldn't want that, and I certainly wouldn't want that. I'm a...Shepard. I am Jossa T'Shepard._

She once again looked at that the crouched form of Rael who was tampering with the vent switch. She then decided what she was going to do. She crawled out of her fetal position and walked over to Rael, crouching to his left and lightly tapping his shoulder. The surprised quman turned around and found himself looking into Jossa's eyes. "I'll help you get out. Let's do this."

Rael smiled, "I believe my mum has a saying."

"Keelah Se'lai."

...

"Daro, have you got the Moreh docked inside the Bellerophon yet?" Connor asked in rapidfire as he headed down the corridor, flanked by two heavy assault troopers with cerberus harriers. He was in full combat armor, his armor not much different from a Centurion but heavier with barriers not to mention he was a sentinel and had tech armor. He was taking datapads from multiple people in every part of Putak Cell. Word has it that Hellion had just docked with Bellerophon and had the data Illusive and Hawk had asked for. The shield upgrades were complete and Bellerophon was ready to disembark and attack Earth. They only needed the Moreh and six other frigates to dock along with the rest of the Cerberus fleet to take escort positions around her so they could leave.

"Moreh is docked and ready. I shall meet you in the briefing room, Daro out." Connor nodded and left his omnitool disappear as he entered the briefing room. Ten assault troopers were in the room, five on each side. Illusive sat in his leather chair at the end, with Hawk to his left and the familiar form of Hellion to his right. Hawk looked up at Connor has he entered. "Please, take a seat General." Hawk motioned to the seat next to him and Connor took his place.

Illusive smiled, "Everyone is here except Daro'Xen." Connor nodded, "The Moreh just docked. She's on her way now." Illusive nodded as he took another sip of his american whiskey and set it back down on the table. It wasn't long, probably five to seven minutes, before Daro arrived and took her seat next to Connor. The door opened again and, puzzled, Connor and Daro looked towards the door to see a Cerberus pilot enter. Xen didn't recognize her, but Connor did. The pilot spoke as she snapped to attention, "Flight Lieutenant Sarah Hale, sirs. I was told I was needed at this meeting?" Illusive smiled, "You were indeed. As well as a special sixth member."

"I am the very prodigy of this plan, and I'm in everything meeting you have, organic." Bellerophon's voice was unmistakable, but it sounded more menacing, and alot more...hybridic. Bellerophon had changed, but it wasn't obvious why and how. For now, noone asked about the voice that even Illusive found odd. All eyes turned on him awaiting their debriefing. "As you all know, we are supposed to be attacking Earth, neatralizing the Alliance and then subjugating the Citadel and wiping out the Council all aside from Osoba. Hellion originally attempted an assassination on the quarian councilor, but that is yielded unsuccessful results. Instead, we will be attacking a much more sinister target."

He brought up the holo on the table and everyone looked at him wide eyed. "We...we're attacking this? Why not Earth? Or the Citadel? They have much more strategic value you sir" Connor asked, confused. Hellion shook his head while Hawk just shrugged, waiting for Illusive to elaborate. "It is simply more important. Now, I want you Sarah...," he said, pointing his cigar at the young pilot, "To lead the air support wings in the assault. Connor, I want you on the ground leading our ground troops. Hawk will remain on Bellerophon, helping coordinate the assault. I shall stay as well. Daro'Xen, I want you on the Moreh commanding the Cerberus fleet and Hellion, you will accompany her as first officer."

Daro immediately objected, "That won't be nessacary. My current XO is more than enough." Illusive eyed the quarian with discontent, "Hellion will be accompanying you, no arguments. I want him up here, helping you lead the fleets. Besides, you and Faringar's relationship could make everything here come crashing down. Bellerophon will wear down their assault forces. They won't stand a chance. Dismissed. Bellerophon, you no what to do." The holo on the table evaporated as everyone began filing out, followed by Hawk and Hellion. Bellerophon responded to Illusive, "I have already set a course. The fleet is on the move. The time for the end is now."

"Indeed it is, Bellerophon. Indeed it is."

As the door shut behind him, he immediately turned to Xen, waiting for everyone else to leave before speaking, "I don't like this." Daro continued walking, motioning for Connor to follow in her footsteps, "I don't either, but we don't have a choice in the matter. Illusive has made his decision." Connor nodded before holding out an arm and stopping her, "Just be careful, alright?" Xen nodded and hugged Connor. Connor immediately reciprocated the hug, feeling the warmth she offered. "I will. Hellion will die if he so much as motions for his weapon. I promise. You just be careful on the surface." Connor nodded, "I'm not the one with a backstabber as XO."

Daro smiled behind her mask, "Point made. I will have my shotgun and omintool with me, if anything goes wrong, I'll let you know immediately..." she hesistated a moment before speaking, testing the next words as if they were awkward and confusing, "I love you." Connor nodded and kissed her visor, looking into her eyes. "I love you too. You made me say it, now you must live with it." Xen laughed, another rare commodity with the cold woman, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. "I shall keep that in mind,  _inszel._ I shall make sure we celebrate our victory with a bonding ceremony. A proper one." Connor smiled as she began to walk away, "I look forward to it."

With those last words, Xen disappeared behind the next wall, heading for the docking bay. Connor turned to leave and headed down the corridor towards the hangar where his entire army would be waiting. A million thoughts ran through his head at once.  _I can't believe this is the end. Where it finally all concludes. I can finally set aside my past and live with Daro forever. To make her happy, so make her become the woman she has been neglecting for so long. I feel like a million heavy weights will be lifted off me. So long have I suffered from my mistakes and this will make up for all of it._

The doors to the hangar slid right open as he looked out to see thousands of troops stretched out an entire kilometer were lined up in square formations all over the place. Assault Troopers, Centurions, Guardians, Atlas Mechs, Phantoms, Nemesis' and even Rangers. Hell, he could see at least 6 Combat Engineers to each square, each square had 200 soldiers, and there were hundreds of these squares stretched over a kilometer. The sea of Putak's colors was immense, strong and most of all; inspiring. For the first time in a while, he felt like a true leader.

"Soldiers of Cerberus, we stand here today to prepare for the final fight. The galaxy has ignored us ever since the destruction of Cronos Station, declaring us at the aftermath of the Crucible firing. I chuckle as I imagine their faces at this glorious sight. Cerberus united for one goal, preservation of humanity at all costs. For too long as humanity stood at the precipece of destruction by these alien warmongers, for too long have we been caught up in alien politics. Well no more..."

He began pacing left and right at his words, as if not only inspiring his troops, but himself as well. "Some of you might question why we attack this world that is not our own, and why it matters. I tell you why. Because the Illusive Man has only one goal in mind; humanity first and if he says 'hey, destroying this planet makes humanity stronger' then we'll do it! Don't be blinded by the corruption of alien politics, don't be dazzled by their ingenuity and kindness because hidden behind the smile is something sinister, dark and immensely powerful that must be snuffed out." Connor didn't quite believe his own words, but he was convincing them, not him. "When we joined Cerberus we all took an oath. That we would save humanity from destruction at the cost of our lives. And today, you shall. You either come out of this knowing you did it for humanity's best interests or you died knowing you aided in the future of a galactic empire. Stand fast my comrades! For today HUMANITY COMES FIRST!"

He heard soldiers hold up their arms and shout out 'ooh-rah!' continously, the roaring cacophony of sounds almost deafening, "Everyone to the dropships! PREPARE TO MOVE OUT! We arrive at target in four hours." Connor stood away from his podium, heading for the dropships, checking his chrono as he went. He also remembered one important thing.  _Humanity first. Humanity comes first. That's the problem..._ And then, before he could stop it, the dream overcame him again.

"You are not what you think you are human," Balak spat into his face, "You're just like me, a terrorist, a murderer. So don't you dare JUDGE ME, human garbage!"

The dream left as soon as it had arrived and Connor stopped, bringing up his hands to examine, as if he'd never seen such things before.  _Balak was right. He's always been right. I've been played since the beginning. Cerberus isn't humanity's best interests. They are humanity's plight, our downfall. No, I will not have them endangering me, Daro or anyone else. I WON'T!_

Without thinking, he pulled out his knife and stabbed the nearest soldier in the throat, slitting it. The soldier's eyes widened in shock but he was unable to shout as he just slumped to the floor, dead. Connor had been responsible for killing one of his own men. Hawk's voice boomed into his comm, "And so you've finally figured it out." Connor tried to think but he didn't get to as gunfire rung out. But not directed at him, no it was too distant. Looking to his right he saw his men fighting other Cerberus soldiers. He keyed his comm.

"CERBERUS HAS BETRAYED US! COME PUTAK! AND LET US DESTROY THE DACIUS!" With that, Connor equipped his weapon and activated his tech armor.

_The schism has truly begun._

...

"EDI, ETA to Earth?" Shepard stormed onto the bridge, his Ajax armor shining in the light that illuminated the room. Voz didn't notice, he just kept typing into his console. EDI's voice replied cooly, "30 seconds. I have tried hailing Ms. Chambers, but she is not responding. Alliance forces remain unaware. We are the only ones informed." Shepard nodded, "Bring us to the nearest docking area now! I'm going in alone!" Joker nodded and brought the Normandy on a angled decent into Earth's atmosphere.

The ship tilted as it entered the planet's sphere finally erupting out the clouds to have Alliance's prefab HQ pop up right in front of them. Joker nodded as he saw the docking area and glided the ship right inside, the docking clamps clasping shut around the ship. Without waiting, Shepard hit the airlock and waited for the decontamination cycle to end. "EDI, override decon! Get this door open now!" The decon suddenly stopped and the airlock door opened. He rushed out, ignoring the massive blood puddles on the ground, it was evident Hellion was here and that Kelly's info wasn't off.  _Please don't try to catch him Kelly, please..._ He ran through the corridors and as he did, equipped his Harrier assault rifle. He dodged past curious soldiers, shouting orders for them to follow him, and follow they did.

The run felt like it went on forever, Shepard ducking in and out of corridors, searching frantically for Alliance Naval Command. Find it he did, as it was the room he was now looking directly at. He slapped the haptic interface and almost gagged at the sight. Two dead alliance soldiers lay at the entrance but there was one sight that made him stand frozen still, it was Kelly's limp body, dry blood surrounding her feminine form. "KELLY!" Shepard rushed forward and stood next to the woman checking for a pulse. He knew it was fruitless as soon as he saw the slit across her throat but optimism forced him too. He wanted to smash his fist into the table as soon as he felt none.

"Secure the perimeter! Noone gets in or out! I want someone to get me ship manifests, a detailed report on ship activity in the last hour. Move! And someone get me Admiral Hackett." The distressed Spectre-admiral simply looked at Kelly's form, using his hands to close her opened eyes, the eyes opened in fear, distress and one he didn't want to see at all; a look that meant she had accepted her fate. Losing Mordin was a hard hit for Shepard, it had been the first time he'd lost a true friend. Then Thane sacrificed himself to save Valern, and he once again found himself distraught. Then Legion had died to provide the geth sentience, but he had soon gotten over that after the synthetic's resurrection.

Then Anderson died, his mentor, the friend he'd had before even Tali or Garrus, and he had died right next to him because of him. Because the Illusive Man...his clone...had forced him to do it. And he then thought he'd been responsible for murdering EDI because of his own selfish need to be in his lifemate's arms again, but that had disappeared as well when EDI returned to them as if she'd never died.

Now...Kelly. The woman that was constantly chatty, checking on the crew's status, making sure he was alright. She was kind, patient, strong and full of youth. She was a woman doing what she thought was right, and then all that was ruined when the Collectors had abducted her and the rest of the crew. Kelly had never recovered from that, but she sure as hell lived with it. Kelly had been young and had so much ahead of her, and with two knife stabs, Hellion had taken that all away; and for what.

_Hellion. You try to kill Shala and now you kill Kelly? That piece of shit will die, slowly. I don't care how much he tries for mercy that sack of shit deserves nothing but a slow death, something like what Vido and Dav got. He's not even human, I'm not sure he's even organic. How the man can live with himself and look in the mirror every morning and still stay he's doing all this for humanity's best interests is beyond me. In the end, I don't care. All I know, is that he has to die._

"Admiral Shepard, do you read. This is Admiral Hackett, what's the situation?" Hackett's voice seemed to rip Shepard out of his painful reverie and he keyed his comms, "Kelly's dead. She...she...didn't make it. Hellion murdered her." Hackett's voice seemed to stop for a moment, as if giving his own time to mourn, "I'm...truly sorry Admiral. She was...one hell of a woman. We got the records for you and...Hellion left on the...Singapore half an hour ago. You were 30 minutes to late. I'm sorry." Shepard couldn't resist now and he slammed his fist into the table.  _That bastard is always avoiding my grasp, always finding ways to slip out._ "You'd better unify the fleets. Bellerophon's on its way and we have to be ready."

Hackett didn't even respond as he disconnected the comm line. Shepard had made up his decision. For Earth, for his people, for Tali, for Garrus, For Mordin, Thane, Anderson and Kelly, he was going to destroy Bellerophon. No matter the cost it took. EDI's voice once again interrupted his thoughts, "Admiral, I have found something quite disturbing." Shepard raised an eyebrow at the non-present AI. Turning out this proved to be hardly the case as she stood in the doorway. "What did you find EDI?" EDI began walking down the steps towards him, moving towards a terminal that had recently been used.

"Someone managed to crack the Alliance's failsafes and anti-intrusion software with an advanced virus and stole some documents on the Council Races. I believe only Hellion could be responsible." Shepard looked at the AI curiously, not understanding why Cerberus was interested in the council races. "Why would Cerberus be interested in data like that?" EDI began accessing the terminal. "They didn't look for all the Council races, just a specific one. And they got what they wanted. The location for the source of their real attack."

"So Earth isn't their target at all, its just a trojan horse. Like operation overlord in World War II, but what could be possibly more important than Earth?" EDI looked at him with a seemingly very disturbed look before bringing up the star charts. "No exact file but the main file was...the Perseus Veil."

Shepard snapped a look at her, "What system?" EDI looked at him with sheer horror, the first she'd ever shown him, "Tikkun."

Shepard said the words long before EDI could even mutter them. It was all too clear that they had been played, and made to be fools. And now, the quarians were in perilious danger.

"They're going to attack Rannoch!"

...

"Admiral, we have finished the system cleanup, running the simulations now. The geth report that the main guns are ready for testing as well" said Haras'Teel vas Tuyysta, the Rayya's weapon's officer. Han'Gerrel nodded to the armourer, looking back at his view screen. What a glorious sight it was, the entire quarian and geth fleets spanning Rannoch's horizon like a flock of birds in formation. The Nuustu was an impressive sight to behold, the liveship now a fully armed flying fortress of heavy armor plating and dreadnought-stopping firepower.

The Geth Dreadnought was still on Haestrom and yet to be finished, but when it was, the quarian republic would regain their place in the galaxy as a major superpower, it was only a matter of time. Han looked over at his lifemate, Malra'Gerrel as she sat next to him, smiling behind her mask. He squeezed her hand and she looked directly into his eyes, "You've done it Han. You've brought the quarian people back to our full strength, and the geth won't be far behind. Soon, we can began working on a cure for our immune systems."

Han smiled at his lifemate, tapping visors with her as she leaned in before they both leaned back. Yes it was a beautiful, and glorious sight. In next to no time, there would be no doubt as to the quarian's might. "Admiral. Scanner's are picking up something."

Han frowned at the navigation's officer, Rel'Queela vas Moorz, who obviously didn't notice the gesture due to his mask. "Elaborate, Rel." Rel nodded, turning back to his console, "I'm picking up a contact heading towards Rannoch's atmosphere in FTL. Exited the relay less than an hour ago." Han simply laughed, "Its probably just the Normandy. Stop worrying. Shepard's decided to pay us a visit."

Rel shook his head, turning back to the Admiral, "Sir, the contact is six kilometers in length. Its longer than 6 of our liveships." Han had been inserting a tube of nutrent paste but immediately spit it out at the assesment, "SIX klicks!? That can't be right, it could be a fleet formation massed together so the scanners pick them up as a single contact. For all we know it could be Alliance envoys." Rel shook his head again, "No, its definitely a single contact. And last I checked, a whole fleet of ships don't travel in the same FTL jump. That's theoretically impossible." Han seemed to scan the viewscreen. Rel's voice picked up again, "Its going to arrive in ETA 20 seconds. It'll be just outside the killzone. Should I sound the general alert?" Han continued to look at the screen before making his decision.

"Bring us to Priority Yellow. We don't know enough about this contact to confirm it as a hostile. Ready the weapons for a contingency. Sound the general alert." The lights in the bridge turned yellow as quarians ran too and from their stations. Rel's eyes widened, "Admiral...another six...seven...twelve...twelve more contacts just popped up! They are right alongside the previous contact!" Han nodded, "I told you it was just a fleet. An envoy, you worry to much Rel..." Han's mouth stopped talking as the six kilometer monster ship dropped out of FTL right in front of Rannoch, twelve Alliance cruisers, no, eleven alliance crusiers with a single quarian heavy cruiser spearheading it.

"Ancestors..." A familiar voice came up on comms after his word of awe. "Hello, Han. It has been too long." Han'Gerrel's face contorted in rage, "Xen! You bosh'tet traitor!" Xen simply laughed, "Say hello to Bellerophon. All ships, engage the enemy fleet!" What Han'Gerrel was looking at was the Bellerophon Shepard warned the Council about and those weren't Alliancr cruisers, they were Cerberus. He realized too late what he was dealing with.

Bellerophon charged its first shot and it impacted the Bakara, destroying it in a single shot. The drydocked liveship never stood a chance. Han'Gerrel stood up in rage, "ALL SHIPS! OPEN FIRE! ALL HANDS INITIATE PRIORITY RED! ARM ALL WEAPON BANKS AND FIRE AT WILL!"

The Battle for Rannoch had begun.

**This is where it ends. Hold onto your seatbelts.**

"Young men go to war thinking they'll love it. They are foolish. Old men come out of war hating it. They are foolish. Wise men come out of war knowing they fought for what was right, and that is what truly matters."

\- General Alfred Wedstone, Battle of Eden Prime, First Contact War.


	46. Ultimatum, Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bellerophon attacks Rannoch. The Normandy launches one final counteroffensive to end Cerberus.

**TO SURVIVE II:**

**AFTERMATH**

_**Ultimatum Part 1** _

"Admiral! ETA to Rannoch is ten minutes! Bellerophon has already begun its assault on the republican fleet. They are taking heavy losses" EDI reported. Shepard was just finishing up in the briefing when EDI contacted him. Nodding, he turned to the rest of his crew, "You heard EDI. Cerberus and Bellerophon have dared to attack Rannoch. The Quarians and Geth have a powerful fleet but against Bellerophon, they might as well be throwing pebbles. Our mission is to infiltrate Bellerophon and destroy it from the inside while the Normandy assists Gerrel's forces in destroying the Cerberus fleet."

"How the hell are we going to board Bellerophon? That thing is a flying fortress, guns all over it. A tough nut to crack if you ask me." Mitchell asked, his question more a statement than anything else. Shepard nodded in agreement, "Yes, but it will be too focused on the republicans to notice us getting too close. We drop in the shuttle and board it before it even knows we are here. We've got a cloak now, remember?" With that, Shepard stood up and put his hands behind his back, "Now I'm not saying this will be easy, its most likely another suicide mission, but we have to stop them. The Illusive Man, Hawk, Hellion, Xen and Connor. All five of them must be destroyed, along with Bellerophon. Our mission is to simply infiltrate it, destroy it from the inside and then escape before it explodes. With Bellerophon gone, Cerberus won't stand a chance. We have to be careful though...Rael and Jossa will most likely be on Bellerophon, so we have to watch our fire. Me and Tali will be held responsible for rescuing them safely."

"Admiral, Han'Gerrel is hailing us" Joker stated over the comm. Shepard nodded, "Put him through Joker." Within seconds, Gerrel's voice rained in, "Shepard vas Rannoch, it is good you arrive now. Bellerophon jumped in over 20 minutes ago and has been laying waste to our fleet. I've ordered a full tactical retreat and Bellerophon isn't pursuing, its headed straight for Rannoch. I'm going to split up and hit it from both sides. Gain its attention. No matter what, we cannot let it get near Rannoch, the damage would be catastrophic. I've sent word to Haestrom for reinforcements, but there has been no response."

"Copy that, Admiral. We're are preparing to board Bellerophon and destroy it from the inside. Once done, the Normandy will assist you in dealing with the enemy fleet. I've contacted Admiral Hackett and he's bringing the entire fourth and fifth fleets to assist. His ETA should be round about sixteen minutes. We're all you got for now." Gerrel seemed to nod, something Shepard even noticed even as he talked to Gerrel through the comm, "Is Malra okay?" Shepard asked. He may have thought Malra as a devil woman, but she really was kind deep down, it just took Gerrel to seep it out of her. "Malra is fine, she is beside me on the bridge. You're all we need Shepard, I wish you good luck on Bellerophon. We will hold them off for as long as we can, Han out." Shepard nodded as the comm went silent. He turned back to his team, "This is how it'll work. We'll split into three teams as usual, Bravo, Able and Sword teams. I will lead Bravo with Tali, Liara, Mitchell and Zaeed. Garrus, you're Able. You take Samara, Grunt, Miranda, EDI and James. Jacob, you're Sword. You take Wrex, Jack, Ashley, Kirrahe, Javik, Kasumi, Kal and Lana."

"Bravo will be responsible for locating Rael and Jossa and extracting them safely. Able will be responsible for finding Bellerophon's weak spot and destroying it. Sword, you're responsible for holding the hangar bay and protecting the shuttle. We get in, get out. There will be a shit ton of Cerberus resistance but I expect you guys will not fail me. So, are we clear on what to do?" Everyone nodded as EDI's voice sounded again, "Admiral. The Cerberus fleet...they're turning on each other. One of their frigates just targetted one of their Cruisers." Shepard frowned, "You mean Cerberus is suffering a civil war of sorts?" EDI seemed to simply nod and Shepard shrugged. "I have a feeling I know who started it, but I'm not about to make assumptions. We get onto Bellerophon and destroy it, rescuing Rael and Jossa in the process. Anything else is trivial. Let's move out, Joker, bring us closer to Bellerophon. Mitchell, as new pilot, you're piloting the shuttle."

While Bravo team used the elevator, Able and Sword simply used the maintenance shafts to get down. The elevator was just to small to fit them all in and they simply didn't have the time for teams to be waiting around for the elevator to arrive so they could use it. Once in the Shuttle Bay, he ran straight towards the shuttle. As the door opened, he saw the Normandy launching fighters from its bays, assisting the quarians and geth in destroying the cerberus forces, rebelling or not. He stepped in just as Mitchell took to the pilot seat and everyone strapped into the shuttle. He felt the shuttle lurch as it lifted off and shot straight out of the Normandy's shuttle bay, on a direct course for Bellerophon. He felt Tali stiffen next to him as she pretended to check her shotgun's mass accellerator. He put a comforting hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently and she looked up, "What if Rael and Jossa are already..." Shepard shook his head, "No, they're alive. Remember, why capture them if they're are only going to kill them? Don't worry, they'll be alive." Tali nodded, "Promise me."

"I can't promise you something like that Tali." Tali shook her head, taking his hand in hers, "Promise me." Shepard knew she just wanted him to say it to reassure her, "I promise." With that, Tali began to actually load her shotgun with thermal clips, "Time to kill some Cerberus bosh'tets." Everyone cheered with her, Shepard joining in. Garrus and Liara appeared to kiss for just a second, both of them acting as if their would be no tommorrow, or they were just doing it for good measure, he had no idea. All he knew was that Cerberus would pay for all they had done, and that he wouldn't let all the trouble he went through; defeating Saren and saving the Citadel, dying and being resurrected to stop the Collectors and finally retaking Earth, he wouldn't let Cerberus destroy it all. He wouldn't let his first son die to their hands, he wouldn't let his third but most truest love die a distressed husk. He wouldn't let the men and women he had become so attached too, the crew that felt like family, die to their hands. He would die before that happened.

"Well Shepard, I think its time to saddle up because we're are closing in. I had some fighters tailing me but now they've been replaced by two friendly geth fighters who were kind enough to tell them to fuck off. Welcome to Bellerophon Central, have a nice day. Watch your step, blood thirsty Cerberus assholes with big ass guns have been reported in the area. Have a nice day" Mitchell stated, giving his best imitation of a train station announcer. It was comical at best, and Shepard couldn't help but laugh at the sudden attempt at humor. Hitting the door switch, Sword headed out first, Jacob ordering his team to take defensive allocations. Mitchell stood up out of his seat and equipped his Raptor sniper rifle, moving out the shuttle at a steady and cautious pace, his eyes scanning the whole area for hostiles.

"Area clear, we can move up" Mitchell announced, allowing Shepard to signal his team. Tali filed out, shotgun aimed straight ahead while Liara had her SMG out. Zaeed simply checked his belt full of inferno grenades and then slammed a fresh thermal clip into his Vindicator. Able was next to move out of the shuttle, Garrus leading the way with his Revenant. He had decided to bring a Revenant as well, if only for the heavy firepower it provided. The close quarters would make worrying about accuracy utterly pointless. Checking the thermal clip stat on his weapon, he saw it held 170 rounds.

With the teams in position, Shepard motioned for his team to fall in behind him as he advanced towards the hangar entrance. He swore he could hear gunfire up ahead, but he didn't think it could be Cerberus.  _Rebels. Has to be._ His suspicions as he finally arrived at the entrance and saw a dead Cerberus phantom clump dead on the ground. Walking out came a Nemesis, the colors being of Putak cell. The woman looked at him before raising her rifle, but she never got a shot off as Tali blasted her face off with her plasma shotgun. "Come on, let's keep moving. We have to find a terminal and find a schematic for this place." His team simply gave him a thumbs up before he lead them deeper into the ship, the orange like lighting illuminating the hall ahead. He saw the bodies of dead Cerberus operatives all over the place, the craters of explosions littering the hallways and spent thermal clips left littered all over the ground.

"Looked like a battle happened here" Mitchell stated quite obviously. Hawk's voice rose over the comms, "Find Connor Faringar and kill him! I want him and Putak Cell wiped out! I don't care what you do but keep him away from the bridge! An someone fucking contact Hellion! I want Xen terminated immediately! I repeat, any soldiers of Dacius who disobey these orders are to be shot on sight! DO IT NOW! And someone investigate why the hangar has fallen silent!" Shepard could easily tell Hawk was agitated, but there was a hint of worry in his voice, as if he feared Connor...or maybe it was the fear of failing the Illusive Man or worse...Bellerophon.  _He can't fail Bellerophon if he's indoctrinated._ He keyed his comm, "Sword team, stay alert. I'm sure you heard Hawk's little announcement." Jacob's voice responded immediately, "Sure did. Don't worry, we've established defensive positions around the hangar. Let them bring it. Just find Rael and Jossa and worry about destroying Bellerophon. We'll handle the rest."

Shepard nodded before signalling his team to follow him. It didn't take long for a terminal to be located either, it was just down the hallway they entered to their right. "Tali, hack into the terminal. See what you can find." Tali nodded, holstering her shotgun to the back of her waist before beginning to type into the terminal. "The security on this is weak, I guess they never expected the enemy to infiltrate his ship or get out alive. I've found schematics that state the prison blocks to be on Deck 37. We are on Deck 35. We need to go down two levels and I've found the location of an elevator. Bellerophon however must have just encrypted everything else as I can't seem to access it."

"You will not escape your destiny, Shepard" Shepard heard Harbinger's...no Bellerophon's...no...a mixture? He heard the hybridic voice in his head like a piercing scream. "You won't win, Harbinger...Bellerophon...whatever you are!" They laugh was unmistakable, "We are Belleringer, and we are legion." Shepard yelled at the top of his lungs and felt Tali just staring at him, "John? What's wrong? And Harbinger is dead." Shepard eyed her with curiosity, "Didn't you hear that?" Tali shook her head, followed by Mitchell, Liara and Zaeed. Shepard simply shook his head as he motioned for the newly aforementioned elevator, "Come on, lets keep moving. Rael and Jossa could be in trouble." Tali didn't object as she equipped her shotgun and followed behind Shepard as they approached the elevator.

The elevator door opened suddenly, revealing three very surprised assault troopers standing behind it. Before they could even raise weapons or shout 'contact!' they were gunned down by the five of them, the bodies falling onto the ground as they entered the elevator and hit Deck 37. As the elevator descended, he saw Zaeed prepping an inferno grenade. It didn't take long for them to finally arrive on Deck 37, their welcome was unexpected however. Their ears were immediately bombarded with the sound of gunfire all over the place, including the words 'get them!' and 'their out!' Shepard frowned as he lead his team down the hallway in the direction of the prison blocks. Just as they rounded the corner they found the cells only to be attacked by two centurions. With no shields, the centurions went down like flies and he slapped his hand on the haptic interface.

"Rael! We're..." Before him was six dead cerberus soldiers with blood all over the walls. A seventh was enveloped in a blue glow but didn't last much longer before he smashed into the wall next to him. He tried to find Rael and Jossa's secret rescuers but was interrupted when he heard Rael's voice, "Daddy!" Rael rushed forward into Shepard's awaiting arms, lifting the child into his embrace, "Son! Who killed the bad men?" He understood that the words 'soldier' and 'Cerberus' had no meaning to him.

"Well, I kinda bailed them out, but they took care of the guards." Shepard immediately recognized the voice and raised his pistol as did Tali and the rest of his squad. Rael broke Shepard's embrace and jumped in front of Connor, arms out wide and glowing in biotics. Jossa joined him, also glowing in biotics. Tali sighed, long and hard.  _Is our entire family biotics now?_ Connor held up his hands, "Whoa! Everybody settle down, I'm friendly!" Before Shepard could do anything Connor raised his pistol at him and fired. However, instead of feeling the shot impact him, it wizzed past his face and he heard a human yelp before the sound of flesh. Turning, he saw one of the Dacius cell phantoms lying dead on the ground.

Connor lowered the pistol, "Like I said. Good to see you Shepard, although I wish it was under the circumstances that we weren't pointing weapons at each other. Before you ask, long story. Lets just say Cerberus is heavily divided and we're in a huge fucking civil war. I was just about to go and storm the bridge, but now that you're here, I think my chances would be greatly increased."

"Damn right they would. But we first off have to get Rael and Jossa back to the shuttles." Mitchell shook his head, equipping his shotgun, "Forget that, we can't afford to back track Shepard and you know that full well. I'll take Rael and Jossa back to the shuttle and then hold position with Sword." Shepard nodded, putting a hand on Mitchell's shoulder before he turned to leave, "Keep them safe." Mitchell smiled, "You know me Shepard. My life after theirs. I'm the sacrificer. Come on kids, time to get you home." Mitchell motioned for Jossa and Rael to follow him, but Rael stopped at his mother's legs. "What about daddy and mummy?" Tali crouched down next to the child, "Don't worry Rael, we'll be back. I promise. Now go with Uncle Mitchell, he'll protect you."

Mitchell guffawed, "Never thought I'd be a uncle! Come on kids, you heard your mother! Time to roll out!" Rael finally decided to leave after hugging his mum and followed after Mitchell. Connor smiled at the child, "I'm so sorry Shepard, I didn't know...Hellion he..." Shepard held up his hand before picking up his Revenant light machine gun, "Just take us to the bridge. Its time to finally end this." Connor nodded, equipping his own rifle, "Right. I've got men rallying throughout the ship, the ones Hawk ordered to the Hangar are assisting your squad in holding off Hellion's troops. Have you destroyed the Moreh yet?" Shepard shook his head, "Don't know, that would be up to the Normandy. Why?" Connor gulped, "Daro's on that ship and...so is Hellion. I swear to god...if Hellion lays a hand on her, I'll rip his fucking head of that worthless spine of his..." Shepard put a reassuring hand on the man's shoulder, "I may not like Xen, hell, legend be told I hate the woman, but she's a quarian, and quarian's a more resourceful than you think. She'll be fine, Hellion underestimates her."

Connor looked up at him and nodded, "Your right, I'm just being foolish. Come on, lets pay Illusive and Hawk a visit." Upon saying these words, he equipped his tech armor. Shepard smiled, "Time to make him pay." Tali nodded and looked at both of them.

"For everything. Keelah Se'lai."

...

"Concentrate fire on the Tonbay, and tell Captain Devoca that the idiotic maneveur he's pulling puts him directly in that geth ship's line of fire. Tell him to pull back onto a broadside and fire his rockets. Then have the Mendicant reinforce his assault with a wave of fighters. You defeat geth ships by sheer force, not tactics designed to fight organics.  _Hagrr'hizs_." Xen finished her barrage of orders by slipping back into her chair. She watched as the battle over Rannoch unfolded around her, Bellerophon's orange beams of light piercing through her people's ships and destroying them one by one like they were annoying rodents.

Xen felt a pang of guilt for the thing she was doing; she was essentially assisting in the murder of many noble men and women, not to mention alot of lifemates were dying on those ships. She watched as the Moreh zoomed past the flaming wreckage of a quarian frigate, the ship a shattering reminder of the attrocities she was committing against the republic, her own people. Hellion stood in front of her, scanning the room, repeating her orders to her crew like they were deaf. She wanted nothing more than to throw the animal out the airlock. But she had orders, and she would follow them without question. She was quarian, an ex-Admiral, she understood the importance of orders.

"Admiral Xen! The Normandy just showed up on scanners!" Xen snapped a look at her helmsman almost immediately. "Then activate the stealth drive! Alert all ships to the Normandy's presence, tell them to utilize all electro-magnetic based weapons in taking that ship down." Her helmsman nodded before turning back to her console. Xen's look returned to her viewscreen where she saw the Normandy in the distance, heading for the Rayya but then all of a sudden disappeared.  _Hunter Cloak? Impossible!_ She shook the thought away and turned to Hellion, "So, any word from Bellerophon about we are actually planning on doing here and why I'm murdering my people?"

Hellion had a huge smirk on his face as he turned back to the Admiral, a smirk she hated dearly. It reminded her what kind of man she was dealing with. "None. Hawk has to deal with a little revolution on the Bellerophon. Connor has...turned against us." Xen snapped her look towards the man, "Why?" Hellion kept his smile on, "He has simply betrayed us, so he will be punished. I will personally kill him myself." Xen fumed in anger.  _Noone shall touch my lifemate. If Connor rebelled it was for good reasons. As his inszel I shall trust him with everything he does. I shall do what's right._ As soon as Hellion turned, she rushed towards him, shotgun out.

Hellion suddenly snapped around and punched her in the mask, causing glass to break all over the place and her body to slam into the wall behind her. She winced in pain as glass shards poked her delicate features, blood oozing from the wounds. She fell, face first into the ground, everything turning into a black haze. She heard Hellion's words fade into nothingness, "There's been a change of command. Get her off MY Bridge." Xen felt the arms tighten on her shoulders, but she never got to fight back as everything went black.

When Xen was finally dragged out of the Bridge, Hellion sat down on his new command chair and smiled smugly, "Helmsman, set a course for the Mendicant. Inform that we are going to disable and destroy the Rayya." With that, Hellion just smiled as the ship accellerated towards their ally, the Rayya's doom was only minutes away.

...

Without a shred of hesitation, Wrex leapt from his cover and charged right into the enemy horde. Taking the assault troopers that were lining up to make a push completely by surprise, Wrex crushed one of them under his hulk before pumping two shots into two of them, and then bringing his gun down to crush the skull of another. Charging up with biotics, Wrex then lashed out with a biotic charge that pulverized another assault trooper trying to escape before he grabbed another one and threw him into a charging fireteam that he quickly dealt with multiple shotgun pellets. Satisified the hostiles were dealt, Wrex smugly returned to his vantage point, reloading as he went.

"I guess my what I just saw, you really did kill a Thresher Maw" Kal stated as he reloaded his missile launcher, Lana next to him began playing with her omnitool, attempting to get her combat drone back in the air but to no avail. Finally giving up, she deactivated her omnitool and brought her shotgun back up, filtering it so that it used incendiary rounds. "My omnitool detects Cerberus reinforcements are inbound. I detect two larger units, but I have dismissed them as grouped up squads. We should reevaluate positions, change tactics."

"I'll sneak in behind with tactical cloak and harass their rear flank while you guys pepper them from the front. I suggest Javik head left and Wrex right so the can pound them with side biotic attacks, give them something to worry about, allow me to work my magic." Jacob nodded, motioning for Wrex and Javik to head to the allocated positions and before Kasumi activated her tactical cloak, she kissed Jacob on the cheek. Jacob look flustered, "Ah..." Kasumi shrugged as her cloak turned on, "I've always wanted to do that. Now I got the chance. Thanks, Jake." And with that, she was gone. Jacob chuckled as he took position near the shuttle, checking his shields to make sure he didn't die under a hail of fire. He made sure to quickly apply medigel to the wound he sustained from a lucky soldier's aim before he motioned for the others to take their positions. It wasn't long before the close to synthetic voices of the Cerberus soldiers echoed through the hangar bay.

"Come out, you're outgunned. We have the area surrounded." Jacob peeked through to see two Atlases arrive from the corridor outside and he cursed to himself for allowing Kasumi to overlook that.  _Shit. Now I really wish I brought that missile launcher._ He looked at Kal, "Any rockets left?" He tried to say as quietly as possible without alerting the Cerberus soldiers. Kal shook his head, "Not enough" he whispered back. Jacob cursed once again, before looking at Kirrahe, "Tell Brynn I love her." Kirrahe looked at him with a expression of confusion, but Jacob ignored it as he motioned for Kal to toss him the launcher. Kal slid it across to him and Jacob caught the launcher. Kasumi yelled through the speakers, "Wait, Jacob! You're not thinking of...NO!" Her objection came too late as Jacob charged right out, missile launcher levelled as he charged at the first Atlas. Its guns didn't have the time to hit him when he blew it off with a first missile attack.

He let off another missile that impacted the second Atlas, dealing almost no damage at all, the smoke the only result of the missile's impact. Jacob didn't time to curse a third time as a Atlas rocket impacted his right side, the explosion so close he felt himself go temporarily deaf as the missile launcher was yanked from his hands and he went flying across to his left, slamming into the floor. He heard Kasumi's voice, "JACOB! JACOB SPEAK TO ME! GET UP NOW!" Jacob turned over as he saw a Cerberus soldier loom over him, Hornet SMG lowered on his head. "You're contract is terminated, Lieutenant Taylor." Jacon waited for the envitable gunshot. Instead, all he saw was a quick flash of yellow impacting the soldier. The soldier's torso exploded in a bright ball of gore and his body fell to the ground. More streaks of yellow and after the deafness cleared he could tell what it was.  _Gunfire?_ Turning he saw Cerberus getting slaughtered, machine gun shots poring into them. No normal machine gun though, this one was high-calibre and was ripping them to shreds. Four missiles easily destroyed the Atlas mechs and it wasn't long before the Cerberus troops were in full retreat.

He turned to his right to look at his savior, their savior, and saw a huge A-61 Mantis Gunship hovering over their shuttle, Cerberus insignia on its wings. A female voice came into his comms, "Flight Lieutenant Sarah Hale, at your service. Don't we have a position to hold?" Jacob ignored the instinctive urge to rip out his pistol and fire at the gunship, but he knew it was friendly, that she had just saved his life, and that he shouldn't thank her by shooting at her. "Appreciate the assist" is all Jacob could say as he stood back up and limped back towards their position.

"Done with suicidal runs? If so, can I have my launcher back?" Kal asked, his voice mixed with concern and mock anger. Jacob smiled, "Atlas knocked it out of my hands. Don't know where it is. Sorry Kal." Kal simply shrugged it off, "Its nothing sir. I'll just buy another one." Jacob chuckled as he slid back down and looked up at the gunship.

_Looks like the tide has changed._

**Bosh'tet:** Thought by many non-quarians to be the quarian equivalent of "son of a bitch" or "bastard." Surprisingly, it is actually the name of a animal native to Rannoch, similiar to Earth rats. It is a rodent to lives my scavenging, but has a very low intelligence, is quite irritating and lazy. It eats the excrement of other animals, using what's let of it as a home and the undigested bits as sustenance. It will eat any dung, even its own. It will defend its dung pile at any cost, even its own kind, and has been known to fight to the death. Quarians used it as a curse word for people who are being stupid, unresponsive, irritating or fighting for a worthless cause or reason.

 **Hagrr'hizs:** Term used to refer to the intellectually challenged. Literal translation: Forever Children. Mentally retarded or damaged people of the quarian race. Though infrequent, more of these special needs children have been born lately.

"Is submission not preferable to extinction?"

\- Saren Arterius, Battle of Virmire


	47. Ultimatum, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The squad boards Bellerophon. Shepard and Tali move to end Cerberus, once and for all.

**TO SURVIVE II:**

**AFTERMATH**

_**Ultimatum Part 2** _

"Another Cerberus frigate eliminated" EDI stated as Joker brought the ship on a hard turn towards their next target. The frigate in front of them broke up and disintegrated, debris falling from the dying vessel. What was left of the bridge of the ship was a smoking crater. The rest of the enemy vessel simply fell apart as it was caught in Rannoch's gravitational pull and fell into the atmosphere. The Normandy quickly spun around, looking for its next target. Joker laughed, "I know EDI. I'm the one taking them down. How's everything on Bellerophon?" EDI didn't answer for a second, "Garrus is leading us towards the main power source. It has taken us some time, but we have finally managed to find it and are inbound on its location. We have tried communicating Bravo Team, but they have not responded. We suspect its a communication scrambler."

"Well if you are able to contact him tell him that we are having fun dodging Bellerophon out here while blowing Cerberus ships right out of the sky. Joker out." EDI rolled her eyes, a gesture she had learnt from her human companions, "I'm right here Jeff, remember?" Joker rolled his eyes and gave out a sarcastic sigh, "Oh, of course! Silly me! Not only are you part of the ship, you've got a body too! I'll remember that next time. Now how's Jacon and his squad?" EDI appeared next to Joker in her blue orb form, the form she had not used for quite awhile, "Jacon?" Joker slammed the weapon controls, two streaks of light belting from the ship and impacting the Cerberus ship he had been targetting, causing wildfires across its hull before flying over it.

"Oh, my nickname for him. He eats lots of bacon and has become Superman! He can crack steel with abs, and probably his biceps too. JACON!" EDI laughed, a gesture she hadn't repeated ever since Tali tried to kill him over that copy of Fornax that she was on, and was still oddly surprised by it, "What's next? Subject Tali? Oh wait..." Joker looked at the blue orb and smiled, "Subject Tali it is. And I guess Shepard will be...Matriarch! Matriarch Shepardess! TALIIIIIIIIIII, JACONNNNNNN, SHEPARDDDDDD" EDI attempted to roll her eyes, but since she could only do it with her actual body, she instead disappeared from Joker's side terminal. Joker once again spun the Normandy around for a second barrage on the helpless Cruiser, the ship desperately rotating its guns to bare on the ship, but the Normandy was just to fast for its automated targetting systems.

"Bitches, please! I've taken down Reapers and a Collector ship! Normandy is UNSTOPPABLE!" With that, two more Javelin torpedoes arched into the Cruiser, ripping apart the hull like tissue paper. Explosions engulfed the ship before it finally succumbed to its fate and the reactor went critical, the ship searing in half from the explosion. Bright orange light shined on the Normandy's sleek hull as it glided over the dead Cruiser, breaking off as the cruiser's debris scattered in all directions. Joker's shouted out wildly, "BOO-YEAH! Choke on it Cerberus! I hope Hellion was on that ship if so...THAT WAS FOR SHALA!" Joker felt odd without his shiny cap, but he had been glad to give it to Rael. The kid was cute, and he saw defiance in his eyes. The kind of defiance that meant a future hero, a man who would stand up to whatever threatened his people, his beliefs. He had Shepard's eyes. DNA sharing did some amazing things.

"Joker, I have located the CV Mendicant. It is...breaking off and rallying with the Moreh. Be careful, we've attracted the attention of the CV Hercules, a frigate. No match for us I'm sure, but it is the ship Hellion used to board us when he kidnapped Rael." Joker smiled as he turned the ship around, "I've got a few more javelins with 'this is for Rael' written on them. Maybe even one with Kelly on it." Turning the ship around, he brought the ship's bow to bear on the frigate that was fast approaching, charging a familiar weapon. He was ready this time. Just as the EMP fired, the Normandy went hard starboard, the shot barely missing as he loaded a fresh pair of Javelin torpedoes.

He was preparing to pepper the frigate with the weapons of mass destruction, but was beaten to it when familiar frigates popped up and hammered the frigate, its shields flickering offline. Taking his que, Joker fired straight into the Hercules' midships, the blast of hot metal impacting the ship and melting away chips of armor until it hit the reactor. He was given a third satisfying creak as the ship exploded in red hot fury, debris shooting out in all directions, thankfully hitting nothing but the empty void of space itself. The frigate wasn't destroyed, but crippled, but it was unlikely any of the crew survived the explosion that had crippled the vessel. Turning and ignoring the disabled vessel Joker smiled as he noticed the insignia on the frigates.

 _Blue Suns. Zaeed, you crazy bastard._ Before him was the entire Blue Suns fleet, their ships hammering the Cerberus fleet and providing flanking support to quarian warships. Hackett's fleet had arrived a while ago, and had successfully managed to lure a Cerberus dreadnought out of the fight and allowing the Nuustu to disable it. Joker turned his attention back to the Mendicant and Moreh, but found that they weren't where he expected them to be. He frowned, worriedly, "Where the hell did they go? EDI, you seeing this?"

"I am the Normandy, Jeff. I see everything around me. The Mendicant and Moreh have rallied four other frigates and are launching a combined assault on the Rayya. Blue Suns forces cannot assist in time, the quarian and geth fleets are to spread out and Bellerophon has successfully kept Alliance forces at bay. If we do not act now, the Rayya will be destroyed and Han'Gerrel killed. We must do something, Jeff." Joker looked at the enemy fleet as it silently approached the quarian dreadnought, Han'Gerrel completely unaware of its approach as he tried to hit Bellerophon's rear, the only place where the ship didn't have weapons.

"Then we're are going in. EDI give me firing solutions on the Mendicant and Moreh, they pose the biggest threat. The Rayya can easily pick off the lighter cerberus ships but two heavy cruisers will be more than a match for her, especially with frigate support. Arm the last javelins and deploy the Thanix. Also arm all GARDIAN bays." EDI didn't respond as she went about the tasks assigned. "Also activated the cloak. Let's give these bastards alittle surprise. Read or not, Xen, here we come. You're bitching days are over." With that, he sped right towards the enemy battlegroup. With every AU he spot closer and closer to his enemies, his weapons ready to cut down the assholes.

Then the unexpected happened and his console just disappeared. "What the..." The whole ship suddenly turned dark in a familiar fashion and emergency lighting kicked in. "Shit! Another EMP! EDI! Talk to me!" No response. He slammed a fist into the console as she tried anything to get the ship or at least weapons back online. He was a easy target for Bellerophon and a even easier target for the entire Cerberus fleet that surrounded him, but he figured both we're either concentrating on the quarians and geth, or the Blue Suns. Either way; he was a sitting duck. "Voz, can you get anything up?" Voz simply shook his head as he tried to reactivate his panel, but to no avail.

"There is another AI in my systems" EDI reported. Joker looked back from Voz, "Wait, another AI? You mean..." Another synthetic voice responded, but it was not one that was welcomed, "That AI has a name. Dr. Eva Core. I'll be taking my body back thank you very much. And this ship looks very nice, I think I'll take it. Cerberus thanks you EDI for your hard work, you are now terminated." Joker began to panic as he shouted EDI's name continiously, but he got no response. "EDI! Damn it!" Core began to laugh once again, the voice like something out of a cliched action flick.

"EDI is gone. I'll be taking this ship. Beginning venting procedure. Goodbye, Mr. Moreau." Joker closed his eyes and awaited for the imminent venting of the ship. He wanted to say so many things to the crew, that he was sorry for all the jokes, that he never made amends, that he never told EDI how much he...he loved her. Now he's never be able to say those things. Muttering under his breath, he said, "I love you EDI." He was prepared for his body to get sucked out into the void of space, to finally feel what Shepard felt like whent he got spaced. But nothing happened, no sucking vacuum rushed in to claim him. Just silence. Then a familiar voice, one he never thought would be filled with such rage, such vehemence.

"I know Jeff. Doctor, this is my ship. GET OFF MY SHIP!" He heard Core trying to retort but everything went silent. Joker heard nothing, like everything had gone silent. Then EDI's voice came back in, "Suck on that, bitch." In the distance he saw Bellerophon come to a complete stop, his weapons stopped firing, everything stopped. Joker laughed, "EDI, just what the hell did you do?" EDI appeared on the console next to him, "Core had been in charge of the Behemoth's engines. In turn...I destroyed her and used her runtimes to gain access to the ship. Once inside, I corrupted all of Behemoth's main systems successfully disabling it. Only Bellerophon itself is still active, but his shell is completely disabled."

Joker guffawed, "Like you said, suck on that bitches!" He was about to give Voz a high five or...in the quarian's case...a high three when Bellerophon's voice, nope Harbinger's...no, a mixture...came bellowing through the speakers, "This shell is nothing to me now. I will direct this personally." The hybridic voice vanished as power was restored to the ship. Unsure what the Reaper hybrid had meant he was about to turn back to the Cerberus battlegroup when the front half of Bellerophon suddenly exploded. He looked in horror as the entire section came off, large pieces of debris hundreds of meters in length came flying off as Bellerophon itself emerged from it. Huge, robotic legs stretched out as the squid-shaped starship shot out of its shell, beams of red light glowing under its sleek hull.

"We're going to need a bigger fleet." Bellerophon was unlike any other Reaper, it was different in shape, representing something more like a crab without pincers. If this was Harbinger's counterpart, it was a superior one. "Jeff! Gerrel is under attack!" Shaking out of his awe, Joker drew his attention back to the battlegroup and spotted too late what was happening. The entire battlegroup was firing on the Rayya, and its shields wouldn't hold for much longer. "EDI, get us-" EDI's voice interrupted him, "Jeff, look. At the fleet." Joker nodded and looked more intently seeing what EDI meant.

"What in the world is it doing!"

...

She opened her eyes and only saw a very fuzzy world. She also saw something unusual in her sights. A lone and long line strode across her eyesight, no, a jagged line strode across her eyesight. She was confused, thinking she must have had something in her eyes and rose her arms to rub them, but was surprised when she couldn't, her arms meeting stiff resistance. Looking to her left she saw her arm held by the familiar white armor of a Cerberus assault trooper. She was being carried away and it all flashed back to her within a second.  _Hellion betrayed me. That little bosh'tet will pay for taking my ship away from me!_

She had to escape her captors, find out what was damaging her eyesight and retake her ship. Connor had been right to rebel, why hadn't she seen it sooner? Cerberus was pro-human right from the start and she should have known they'd never compromise their beliefs. She was an alien, and it didn't matter that she was in love with a powerful Cerberus general, she was just an alien...a quarian...one that Cerberus needed removed from their ranks. She was never in their grand scheme, she had never been a part of it. She'd simply been a puppet, and the Illusive Man and his little minion, Hawk, had been pulling the strings. She'd played along, what a fool she had been. Now her entire world was paying the price for treachery, her deception. She had helped get the homeworld back, and now she was responsible for taking it away again.

 _Tali. The girl was right, I'm a monster. I've betrayed everyone I've ever loved, ever befriended. Everyone who knows me will know me in the future as the one who helped the cycle continue. Who aided in its restart. Trillions of lives shall die, and its all my fault. I'm pathetic, I claim to a quarian admiral, ex-Admiral, yet I was so easily corrupted by Cerberus, their ideals changed me. No...Keelah...nooooo..._  The thought scared her. She knew it was the truth. All the evidence pointed towards it. Noone, especially her would turn against her people willingly. She hated the very thought of it.

 _I...Daro'Xen...Daro'Faringar vas Moreh...one of the most powerful figures in quarian history...am indoctrinated._ She expected Bellerophon to sneak into her thoughts, to snatch away her freedom at that very moment, to transform her into some hideous abomination. But it didn't. She felt no stinging pain in her mind, she didn't feel her eyes turning into the color of hell itself, she only felt...rage, betrayal and...shame.  _I have to fix this. For the quarian people. Redemption is something for everyone._ Without hesitation, she kicked the left soldier in the foot, causing him to reel back and drop her arm. Taking her oppurtunity for granted, she turned to the soldier on her right and laced her hands swifty around his chin, snapping his neck fluidly. The red soldier was on her in seconds, but she was ready. She crouched down, avoiding the soldier's strike, and kicked him in the quad, causing the man to reel.  _Male weakpoints. So obvious._ She then leapt on him, wrapping her legs around his head as well as her arms.

"May the ancestors feel the need to grant you redemption as they should on me" without anymore thought, she squeezed her legs tighter and pushed her left leg forward, pulling the right backwards, snapping the man's neck. Leaping off of his now dead body, Xen nimbly landed on both feet as the body just crumbled onto the ground. She unflicked the soldier's Talon SMG from his holster and attempted to get her bearings.  _Rear section, this is where the living areas are. So the bridge is 30 meters ahead._ From her current position in the corridor she could see into space from the observation windows as the battle raged outside. The Mendicant strode alongside them, firing its weapons at something ahead of them.

Turning left, she began running down towards the bridge as fast as she could manage, trying her best to make sure no soldiers got a beat on her. Years of being an admiral allowed Xen to become very adept at combat, her tech skills rivalling even Tali's. The admiral checked every corner, every nook and cranny for any signs of Cerberus soldiers. Nothing.  _Must be centralized on the bridge. Hellion is a paranoid bastard. Or maybe he's just a control freak. I think Connor called him both. True on both accounts._ Without even thinking, Daro raised her pistol and rounded the corner, squeezing the trigger. A shot rang out and impacted the armor of a Cerberus soldier patrolling the corridor. She fired two more shots into the soldier's head just to be on the safe side before running past his dead body and slamming in a fresh thermal clip.

When she finally stood still and focused her vision, it became painfully evident what the line in her vision was. It wasn't something in her eyes, it was her mask. Her mask had been smashed open.  _No reaction yet. That's good. But I'll be dead if I don't find a replacement mask soon._ She poked her head around the corner and, seeing no patrols moving to kill her, she turned back and ripped her mask off, throwing it away before continuing down the hallway. If she kept the mask on it would only serve as a distraction, a distraction she didn't need. With the mask out of the way and her vision cleared up, she immediately made a run down the corridor.  _10 meters._ She could clearly see the bridge up ahead now, the steel door locked in place to keep others out.  _Please, Hellion. I command this ship._

She finally stopped at the side of the steel door and began hacking into it with her omnitool.  _Idiot, leaving a prisoner with their omnitool. Especially a quarian. Now I know why Hawk entrusted Connor with Rael and Jossa's imprisonment. At least he can keep them contained and not with anything they could potentially escape with._ Using the best hacking program on her omnitool, she had the door open in seconds and she immediately strode in, pistol raised. She found her crosshairs land on Hellion's back. She gave a smile, not one that was sadistic however, no, this smile represented revenge and the coming of something that had been a long time coming.  _Indoctrinated or not, I'm ending this here._

Hellion apparently had heard the door open. "Who is it? Is Xen locked up?" Daro smiled as she squeezed the trigger, "I believe you're in my chair." The pistol shot rang out, filling the entire room with the sound like that of a ship dropping out of FTL in a planet's atmosphere. The shot impacted Hellion's side, causing the man to stagger from his seat. His two guards turned to the source, but Daro quickly introduced them to the ancestors with two more gunshots. Seeing no more guards on the bridge, she sealed the door and immediately approached Hellion, who was attempting to recover from her shot and she picked him up by the neck, throwing him out of the seat and onto the floor, "This is my ship!"

Hellion simply looked back up at her, his smug features wiped away, replaced by pure determination. "Yes! You belong to Cerberus, making it MY ship!" Without giving her time to respond, Hellion launched a concussive shot towards her, knocking her into one of the panels surrounding the captain's chair. Hellion immediately got up and rushed at Daro, his knife bared. Daro tried to raise her pistol but Hellion was already on her and knocked the pistol out of her hand. She simply jumped leftwards as he shoved the knife downwards, instead hitting the panel. Taking advantage, Daro drew her own knife from her boot and charged at Hellion, but he managed to wrench it out and block the attack with his own knife.

Two of her bridge crew came to her aid, but Hellion raised his pistol and shot the both of them, followed by three more before Daro cried out in rage and shoved the knife into his wrist and wrenched it out again. Hellion cried in pain as she felt the blood pour out of his stricken wrist, the pistol falling from his hands. Daro tried to slit his throat, but he once again countered and kicked her off the bridge podium. She slid down onto the command deck, and tried to get back up only to have Hellion land 2 meters from her. She crawled away, her knife left where it fell. As Hellion walked past, he kicked it uselessly to his left and continued to approach the defenseless quarian. The last of the crew came to her aid, but found themselves slaughtered once again by the Cerberus general. But that was all the time she needed to regain the advantage.

Leaping up she tackled the Cerberus general to the ground, her hands desperately trying to wrench is blade out of his hands. But his hands were clenched tight, so getting the blade out was a challenge in itself. Putting all the strength she possessed into getting that knife, she continued to struggle with Hellion as they rolled around, trying to stab each other with his knife. She always had the advantage though; althogh quarian females didn't have the strength of the males, quarians were naturally stronger than humans. This gave her a nice advantage over the cerberus operative. An advantage that if used correctly, could end in his death. Daro knew that the only way she could win this was getting that knife.

"Get off me you quarian bitch!" She heard the gurgling sound in Hellion's throat, but responded too late. A hurl of saliva rocketed into Daro's face, ruining her eyesight with a sticky coat of human spit. Forced to let go to clear her eyesight, Hellion took advantage and plunged his knife deep into her chest. The spit was gone but the wave of pain she immediately erased all thoughts of winning, now she thought only of reckoning. She had lost, she had failed Connor, her people, everyone she ever lost. Hellion had succeeded in killing her. She slowly looked down and gasped as she saw the large blade embedded in her belly, a flood of red, sticky blood oozing out of the large wound. She looked up at Hellion with a look of shock, but the cold look he reciprocated gave no comfort to the dying woman. "Keelah..."

She felt her eyes become heavy and felt the knife slowly retract. "Rot bitch." Hellion than pushed the dying quarian off of him as she stood up, wiping the blood off on his armor. Daro fell backwards into the floor, the taste of blood in her mouth as she coughed it out. Hellion simply gave her a smug look as he turned back to the bridge, "Die a long, painful death, Xen. You won't be around to see our ultimate victory. And I'll make sure your lifemate screams loud and hard so that may call them blissful noise." Daro gulped as the blood came down her cheek and onto the floor, blood still oozing from her chest wound.

_I'm going to die. Everything I've ever wanted to do will never happen. I wanted children, I wanted Connor, I wanted a bonding, I wanted to step on Rannoch, the home of the ancestors without a suit. To feel the wind brush against my skin, to smell the sweet aroma of the flowers that litter our beautiful planet. Now, I'm going to die being remembered as the woman that aided in the destruction of her people._

Then she remembered her words to Connor.  _"Maybe I will. You can't change who I am Connor" How I was so wrong. I have changed. I've gone from being a strong, powerful member of my people who experimented on her childhood toys to a woman deeply in love and into a nobody. But maybe being a nobody isn't all that bad. Maybe I was a strong woman, a woman who had everything...a position on the Admiralty, the ship to captain and geth to experiment on. But was that really what I wanted? Now that I think about it, I was wrong. Everyone can choose to change who they are. That's what makes us different from the machines. No, I'm not dying, not as the woman I am._

Ignoring the pain she felt she looked up to see Hellion stop and look at his omnitool. Turning right she could see her knife within reach.  _This ends today. I am Daro'Faringar vas Moreh! And I will not die like this!_ She rolled onto her front and silently turned around, picking up her knife as she went. She ignored the unimaginable pain she felt as she stood up tall and rose her knife. Then she felt the one thing building up in her throat that she didn't need right now. But she couldn't stop it. She coughed.

Even as Hellion turned to the closeness of the sound, he was too late. She drove the blade deep into his throat, blood gurling out like a fountain of water. A sea of red poured out onto her feminine features, turning her into the looks of something demonic. She ripped the blade out and dropped it as Hellion grasped his own throat, desperately trying to clog the blood flow. Daro simply watched him with a livid stare as Hellion crumbled onto the floor, desperately trying to talk but all that came out were jumbled gurgles.

Passing the dying operative she slowly limped towards the captain's chair while she held her side. Then she heard the Mendicant's captain, "Moreh, you have ceased your assault on the Rayya. Hellion, respond. Hellion respond damn it!" Daro turned to see Hellion desperately reaching out to the navigation panel, but she stomped on his hand and looked out of the viewscreen. Right in front of her, was the Rayya. One of the three liveships that had kept her people alive, now Gerrel's flagship and quite soon...a field of rubble. If Daro wanted to be remembered as a hero who died fighting to redeem herself by saving her people, then this was the way to go by it.

Without thinking, she sat down on navigation and began typing into her console, bringing the ship on a course towards the Mendicant. A collision course. She watched as the Moreh accellerated towards the Cerberus heavy cruiser, the ship's captain's shouting becoming background noise as she pulled out her omnitool and began typing her message, "Moreh, what are you doing! Correct your approach now! Hellion, wake the fuck up and look at your course!" Hellion simply looked at her with the first scared expression he's ever shown. Daro ignored him as she typed her message, wording it carefully before doing a read of it.

_To: Ex-Cerberus General Connor Faringar_

_From: Daro'Faringar vas Moreh_

_Subject: My Last Words_

_Connor, I...these will be my last words to you, Saera. I...can't tell you how much you mean to me in a few words but I hope I can succeed in trying. I...learnt. I...listened to your words but never heeded them. Now that Hellion betrays me do I fully realize the extent of my treachery. I have done things in my life I should never have done, things I now regret doing. I wish things could have been better Connor, that I could have given you the woman you desired._

_At least I can be at peace knowing you'll get this message. Don't try and save me, everything's locked and done. I cannot escape the sins I have committed, but I can at least redeem myself by saving my people. Keelah Se'lai, Connor Faringar. May the ancestors watch over you. Let them give you the strength they refused to give me._

_I love you, Connor. I love you so much. Please don't forget me. And remember me as the woman who saw through her mistakes and did what was right._

_From: Daro'Faringar vas Moreh, your lifemate. Your soul._

She smiled as two tears streamed down her cheek and she unclutched her side. She looked at Hellion's body, which was still slightly moving, but was dying very slowly. She watched as the Mendicant got so close that neither ship could possibly turn in time. "Shit! HARD TO STARBO-" Daro smiled.  _Keelah se'l..._ Then the loudest sound she had ever heard interrupted her final thoughts. The sound of metal crashing against metal was heard as everything blew up in her face and she was flown face first into the panel. She didn't get time to feel the pain as everything went black around her.

...

"What the fuck?" Jacob shouted as he felt the entire ship shake violently as if in the middle of some earthquake. The Cerberus soldiers seemed to be just as concerned as they stopped moving all together and began frantically looking around. The gunship just kept tearing them to shreds until they retreated outside once more. He heard one of the soldier's shout, "Hawk! Illusive! Their abandoning us! Bellerophon's breaking free of the ship! Abandon the fucking ship!" His whole team stopped firing to see the Cerberus troops were panicing. But that wasn't what surprised Jacob.

 _Bellerophon breaking free? Why the hell would he abandon this ship and expose himself?_ Sarah continued to mow down the soldiers one by one, leaving nothing but bloodied remains. Jacob and the rest of Sword took down the occassional soldier that survived, but aside from that there was nothing to kill. EDI's voice came into his speakers, "Lieutenant Taylor, do you hear me?" Jacob winced from the sound and keyed his comm, "Loud and clear, EDI. What the hell is going on? What the hell is this about Bellerophon breaking free? What the hell did you do?" EDI didn't respond for a couple of seconds, but when she did her voice sounded frustrated, "It was not us. Not technically. The Moreh and the Mendicant had taken ships to attack the Rayya but the Normandy was unable to react due to Bellerophon EMPing us and Dr. Eva Core hacking into our ship. I destroyed her and piggybacked on her link, allowing me to cut Behemoth's power, making all weapons useless and rendering all engines inoperative."

"In advent, Bellerophon saw this and 'abandoned' ship, breaking free through the bow and engaging the quarians personally in battle. Cerberus is abandoning ship because structural integrity has been severely weakened by Bellerophon's breach and the entire ship is falling apart. Ready the shuttle for dust off, we are coming to you!" Jacob shook his head, "What about Bravo team!? We can't leave without them!" EDI answered almost immediately, "They were heading for the bridge, the bridge was Bellerophon. If we're lucky, they are already onboard him."

"I'm not basing this off luck! I'm going to get them..." His voice was interrupted by a familiar british accent, "No need for that." He turned to see Mitchell appear at the doorway, Rael and the asari kid, most likely Jossa, behind him. Mitchell, satisfied all enemy forces were pacified holstered his sniper rifle on his back, motioning for the kids to stay close behind him. It wasn't long before he stood before Jacob, "Connor and half of Cerberus has defected. He had already freed Rael and Jossa by the time we got there, so Shepard sent me back with them while they headed for the bridge. Last I heard, they had boarded Bellerophon. Don't worry, they'll be fine." Jacob nodded just as Joker's voice came through the comm, "That would explain why the Moreh just collided into the Mendicant." Jacob frowned, "Xen did what?" Joker gave 'yep' as he responded, "Me and EDI just watched it all happen. First thing you know, Moreh's attacking the Rayya. Next thing, its not. Before we know it, the Moreh is shoving itself up the Mendicant's sorry ass and giving it a 'fuck you' note before both of them exploded. Have to give Xen credit, she's brave. May god rest her soul."

"Amen" came Ashley's voice as she amended Xen's bravery. Even bad people could turn good not matter how far down they were. "Okay, well's not dither about. Everyone, back onto the shuttle. Sarah, think you can continue providing support while we evac?" The response was immediate and chirpy, "You kidding? I've got stockpiles of ammo that could last me a whole week of fighting these bastards. You should be asking 'Sarah, think you can stop now?'" Jacob chuckled. He already liked this girl, a pity she had been working for Cerberus. The Alliance could use women like her, "Right, silly question. Kasumi, Javik, Wrex, fall back to the shuttle. We're leaving. Sarah, provide air support to Able so they can safely extract." Sarah didn't say a thing, the reloading of her main gun her only response to Jacob's orders.

It wasn't long before all of Sword was back on the shuttle, with Wrex and Javik covering the entrance. Jacob dove inbetween and turned back to see Able rush into the room. Everything seemed to be going well.

"SHIT!" Sarah shouted. Jacob rushed out to see what the commotion was about and immediately saw it. Standing behind the shuttle was a Primordial mech of the same class Vido had used. He saw Sarah turning to shoot it, but the mech fired first, the shot disintegrating her main gun in a single shot. Jacob heard Garrus shout out, "Able is inside! Come on Jacob! We have to go!" Jacob nodded and turned to run inside the shuttle, followed, quite surprisingly, by Zaeed and Liara.  _What?_

"What are you two doing here? You're meant to be with Shepard and Tali!" Zaeed looked at him with a grim look as did Liara, "They said they had unfinished business, that they might not make it out alive. Ordered us to go." Garrus looked infuritated but any objection was cut off as the shuttle door closed and Mitchell lifted the shuttle off the ground. "This is Hale. Main gun is gone. Sorry guys, only one way to destroy this thing. Sorry I didn't get to know you better. This is the final flight of Flight Lieutenant Sarah Hale, Griffin out." Jacob hurried to the terminal and watched as Hale smashed her gunship into the mech, the explosion destroying both of them. Jacob slowly looked at the ground.  _How many more._ "How many more" he repeated out loud.

Garrus raised a brow at him, "How many more what?" Jacob looked a him with the grimmest look he could give a man. "How many more people die to protect this galaxy? We can only hope the best for Shepard...and Tali" He sat down as Mitchell announced their flight path for the Normandy. Everyone else watched the terminal as Behemoth fell apart, debris flying in all directions, the once mighty superdreadnought now nothing but a pile of debris.

_And Bellerophon's next._

...

Shepard had been inside a reaper before and it was not in the least bit exciting, but this was just creepy on every level. The ship's interior was a mass of grey features, the sleek outlines similiar to geth designs. It was impressive. He admired the design, but then he remembered the race responsible and any bit of impression was replaced by pure tenacity; Belleringer had to die, not matter the cost. Tali stood next to him, shotgun out while Connor lingered ahead, his tech armor glowing in the dark interior of the Leviathan-Reaper.

He kept his Revenant steady but he couldn't shake away the worry he had.  _What if we don't get out of here. Rael will be forced to face what Tali did all over again. Losing both his parents. No, I survived the Reapers. I won't let Bellerophon end the hopes and dreams I have for me and Tali's future. And Rael's future. I won't let that happen. I won't!_ He continued to watch Tali and from her body movement, he could tell she felt scared as well. They both dead, whether Connor did or not was beyond him. He barely knew the man except that now he was a incredibly useful ally.

He heard the sound of an omnitool beep and turned to see Connor stop in his track, omnitool out. "Got a message from Daro. Wait a moment. Won't take a min...ute" he could tell from Connor's sudden change of rageful tone to a melancholic one that something was wrong. It was in his eyes too. "Daro...no...no no no no. NO! YOU BASTARDS!" Connor immediately punched the wall in front of him, rage overcoming him. Shepard had realized that he and Xen were in love, but to think it went that far. "What happened?" He put a reassuring hand on Connor's shoulder and the man turned around to meet Shepard's look, now full of melancholy. "She...she...Hellion betrayed her. Tried to kill her. She...sacrificed herself to stop the Mendicant from destroying the Rayya. She's dead. Hellion's dead too. ARGH! HAWK YOU'LL FUCKING PAY FOR THIS!" He could see Connor's eyes welling up with tears, but this wasn't the time for a emotional breakdown.

"Connor, we will make both Hawk and the Illusive Man pay for their crimes. I promise you. Xen won't die in vain." Connor shook his head, bringing his rifle back into lower parry, "Not Xen. Faringar. Daro'Faringar vas Moreh will be avenged." With that, Connor turned and continued to walk towards the bridge, his posture radiating strength, determination, conviction. Connor was now an enraged animal, one off the leash. Shepard smiled, smugly.  _Prepare yourself Hawk. You've pissed off the wrong guy today._

Motioning for Tali to follow, Shepard followed after Connor as fast as he could. Five minutes of running around frantically, they finally came across the bridge. Connor waited for them, motioning for them to take positions on the opposite side of the door he was on. Once in position, Connor rushed the room, weapon levelled, Shepard and Tali at his back. The Illusive Man stood in the front of the room, Hawk behind him working at one of the consoles. Connor shouted loudly, "HAWK! You son of a bitch!" Connor rushed forward but felt himself stopped by Hawk's biotic barrier. Hawk made a tsking sound before waving a finger at him. Connor backed off slowly as Illusive turned around, a smug look on his face and Hawk deactivated his barrier.

"You two look awfully confident for people who are about to die" Shepard stated as both he and Tali pointed weapons at Illusive and Hawk. Shepard eyed Hawk, "So, Rafael. Good to see you again. Done betraying people that trusted you? Mitchell also send his regards." Hawk laughed loudly, "Those are in the past. Your precious girlfriend is dead and Rito is dead. What can I say? I'm a survivor!" Hawk turned his look to Tali, "But of course you found yourself a new pet. Someone else to use as a stress-reliever. Cause that's all Julia was to you. A stress-reliever. Do you realize that Tali? That you're nothing but a goddamn object to him!" Tali shook her head as Shepard turned to her, "Don't listen to him! He's lying!" Hawk continued to laugh, "Remember where you are. For there is one man in this ship that you must always listen to. BELLERINGER!"

Shepard's opened wide as he felt a stabbing headache and his gun move on a mind of its own. It pointed directly at Connor's face. He tried to pull back, but his arm's refused to respond. With every bit of strength he could muster, he yanked the weapon towards Connor's legs before Belleringer made him pull the trigger. The shot went off, impacting Connor's legs and making the man yell in pain as he fell to the floor. Hawk shook his head, "Always resisting to the last breath Shepard? Well, lets see how you do with the one you love." Shepard knew what came next, but was still horrifed when he saw his crosshairs land on Tali's face.

"John! Fight it! Don't let Belleringer control you!" Shepard tried his best to resist, but the gun wasn't budging.  _You are mine Shepard! Kill this weakness! This plague upon your soul!_ Shepard's muscles screamed in protest as he tried desperately in vain to move his weapon away from Tali. He looked at her and smiled, "Tali...bi...bi...do it..." he said through clenched teeth. Tali raised a brow.  _Bi? What's bi? wait...he doesn't mean what I think he means does he? Oh keelah..._ She looked at him for recognition, and found it. She sighed and closed her eyes thinking of all the happy times they both shared. The first time she showed her face to him, he first time she made love with someone, their bonding ceremony, and...Rannoch. When he first took her on Rannoch and they walked along the beach...

Her body glowed in pure biotic light. "I'VE EARNED HAPPINESS!" With that, she lashed out with biotic energy that sent Shepard flying into the wall, disabling him. Hawk was utterly surprised, "Your not a biotic! But...your a engineer!" Tali smiled as she turned to him, "There's a first time for everything...bosh'tet!" She prepared to hit Hawk with a burst of biotic energy, but Connor had already barreled into him. Hawk fell backwards and both he and Connor engaged in hand-to-hand combat.

Shepard recovered from Tali's biotic surge and immediately saw Hawk being attacked by Connor has the Illusive Man smugly watched. He felt himself running forward as Belleringer directed him to kill Connor. He felt his omniblade pop out and once again he was having a internal struggle.  _Belleringer...can't...control...ARGHH!_  Tali's pleas for him to break free of his indoctrination went unheard as he finally picked up Connor and turned him around, his omniblade slipping through Connor's chest. Connor gasped and looked Shepard in his eyes. This changed everything. He saw the sadness Shepard had felt in his eyes when he had been forced to abandon Tali on Aeia to go after Dr. Kenson, the sadness he felt when she almost died to the Reaper on Rannoch and finally...how scared he had been when he shared that night with Tali just before assaulting Cerberus HQ, her words echoing in his head.

 _I want to survive. I want to live the life you have given. To build that house on Rannoch and watch as the sunset disappears behind the clouds. I want you. I want to live._ Shepard felt himself fill with anger. He ripped the omniblade and leapt towards Hawk, ontop of him in seconds. He pushed it into Hawk's gut, elliciting a gasp from the man as blood poured from his mouth, "That was for Julia you piece of shit." Hawk let out a final choked cry of pain before Shepard yanked the blade out of him and let the body fall to the ground. Connor coughed blood out of his mouth as he stepped up but when the three of them turned, Illusive was sliding down a ladder. Connor's eyes widened, "The Mass Effect Core! He knows we need to destroy it! I'll go after him!" Before Shepard could object, Connor leapt down the ladder, prepping a C8 charge.

 _I'm coming Daro. I shall meet you in death very soon._ Connor leapt over one of the consoles and saw Illusive running straight towards the mass effect core. Connor ran with all the strength he could, but the pain in his leg was killing him. Ignoring the pain as best he could, he continued running towards Illusive, his tech armor exploding as he neared with two meters of him. Illusive turned and attempted to brandish his predator pistol, but Connor simply smacked it out of his hands and pressed the button on the charge. "If I'm going, I'm taking you and Bellerophon with me you sack of shit!"

"I saved you! You owe me your very life!" Connor smiled, looking at the Illusive Man's eyes with content. Those would be the last set of eyes he would ever see. Connor smiled, "No. Daro saved me. For her! KEELAH SE'LAI!" Very either could say anything, the charge detonated, the explosion enveloping Connor and Illusive, including the core. The core sparked and died, the yellow glow disappearing. Shepard felt the whole ship shudder from the sudden lack of mass effect fields. "And stay dead this time, asshole." Tali grabbed his arm, "We have to leave! Belleringer's caught in the gravitational well of the planet. We're going to crash!" Shepard, realizing the urgency nodded and they began running for the entrance. They didn't get far as the door slid shut, "If I must die Shepard, so will you." Tali looked around frantically, as did Shepard but everywhere had been sealed off. All hopes of escape were gone.

"No! No no no no. It can't end this way! It can't..." Tali began to panic, but quickly broke into a fit of sobbing. Shepard put his hand on her shoulder and turned her around, holding her hands. She continued, "It can't end this way. All we've been through...I just wanted to live my life out with you..." Shepard smiled and kissed her on the lips, long and passionately. They broke the kiss and Tali put both hands on either side of his head, placing her forehead on his and looking into his eyes, "I love you, John. May the ancestors deem you worthy of our afterlife." Shepard nodded, "We've earned the rest. Keelah Se'lai."

Instead of lips meeting once again, they tightly embraced each other, closing their eyes and waiting for the envitable. They embraced each other's warmth, felt it radiate through each other's bodies. They were at peace. Maybe Rael would grow up with Jossa alongside Liara and Garrus. If there was anyone he wanted raising his son, it would be them. It wasn't long before Bellerophon finally slammed into the ground and it was quite clear these lovers were content with their fate.

...

"Shepard! Tali! NO!" Garrus yelled as he watched Bellerophon slam into the ground like a hammer on steel, bits of debris shooting all over the place and smoke covering the area. "Take us down there Joker! NOW!" Liara looked at Garrus is silence, only speaking up when she found the need, "It is highly unlikely they survived Garrus..." Garrus looked at her with mixed fury and sadness. "You don't know until you've seen." Joker finally sighed and gave in, "Okay Garrus. Taking us down. EDI, what's the status of the Cerberus fleet?" There was silence before she answered, "They are routing. Any surviving Cerberus vessels are making a run for the mass relay, but quarian vessels are in direct pursuit. It is safe to assume that Cerberus is finally defeated." Everyone nodded in quiet as they heard the Normandy enter Rannoch's atmosphere.

Within minutes, they were on the ground. Garrus didn't even wait for the hatch to fully open, he just rushed straight out. Landing on the ground he stumbled alittle and surprisingly, Kasumi followed with the same hurriedness. Then Liara remembered that she and Kasumi had become extremely close friends on the SR-2. Ironic given the quarian's racist name of being 'thieves.' Garrus rushed straight towards Bellerophon's dead bulk. A thick dust cloud surrounded the dead Reaper, or collection of Reapers, as they approached, hoping desperately for some consolation. They stopped at the very edge of the cloud, looking frantically around for their comrades. The man Garrus had come to respect so much he called him a brother, Kasumi looking for the chatterbox quarian she called a little sister.

For minutes they waited. And waited. It became all too painfully evident the truth of the situation. Garrus' cries didn't help the painful predicament. Liara felt tears well up in her eyes as she began to walk back to the Normandy, followed by everyone else. Wrex and Grunt seemed unfazed, but they were obviously pained. Samantha was crying while EDI seemed to look blankly at the ground, as if deep in thought. James put on his best professional pose, but couldn't hide the pain he felt welled up inside him. Even Javik, the man who seemed to think death was second nature, looked like he was ready to cry. Liara felt like she was going through the Crucible aftermath all over again. A familiar synthesized voice sounded behind her.

"Is Shepard and Tali alright?" Liara turned to the geth calling himself Legion and immediately hugged him, trying to feel comfort in its machine chasis. Legion surprisingly returned the embrace, "Shepard and Tali...are dead. No..." Liara had felt alienated to the geth's emotions, but kept reminding herself it was because of Shepard's converted reaper code that the geth got this chance. If geth could cry, Legion would be right now. Liara released its embrace just as the the paniced cry of a young child sounded, a sound she wished she would neve hear.

"DADDY! MUMMY! NOOO!" Liara turned to Rael as he ran past her like a jet fighter and landed on his knees at the smoke's edge, "NO! MUM! DAD! GET UP! YOU'RE ALIVE! DON'T DIE!" Rael began to sob constantly, his body shaking so badly Liara feared he would grow mentally unstable. Liara picked up Rael and looked him in the eyes as he cried, "Mum and dad aren't coming back Rael. I'm sorry. But don't worry, me and Garrus will look after you." Garrus looked at her and then Rael with a pained expression. "Its what they would have wanted." Garrus nodded and put a hand on Kasumi's shoulder, "Come on, Kasumi. We've...got...to make...funeral arrangements." They began walking away as they heard footsteps behind them. They ignored them as pieces of the mind, nothing else, just the mind being in denial. Liara wished the sounds were real.

"As much as Rael would be safe in your care Garrus, I don't think we're giving up our son just yet."

They all stopped in their tracks as they all slowly turned around. Emerging from the dust cloud came Shepard, his armor scarred and bloodied. Another slim, petite, feminine figure stood next to him, holding his hand, grinning like an idiot.  _Shepard...Tali! They're alive!_

"MUM! DAD!" Rael leapt out of Liara's embrace and ran straight towards his seemingly resurrected parents, the smile on his face so happily evident. Tali let go and ran forwards as well, wrapping Rael in a embrace and holding him tightly, "I'm here son. I'm not ever leaving!" Shepard and Garrus stopped infront of each other and just looked at each other. Within moments they decided to 'hell with it' and immediately embraced each othe in a brotherly hug. Wrex also wrapped Shepard in a hug, and they all cheered at their victory.

**For these noble men and women of valor, honor and courage. Men and women of a different creed were brought together to form a new creed.**

**Let it be known that ever since then, these men and women from Tuchanka, the Migrant Fleet, Thessia, Palaven, Earth and even Sur'Kesh weren't just a crew or friends.**

**They were family.**

**Stick around for the epilogue and afterword guys. I will send my condolences there!**

**Also, don't forget to look at my two short fanfics 'Flyin Migrant Style' and my latest funny parody, 'Jacon and Friends.' The first is a parody of gangnam style, while the latter is my sick shit for humor at work.**

"JJAAAAACCCCCCCCOONNNNNNNNN!"

\- {Name withheld due to fear of being chastised}


	48. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Shepard family finally achieve that happy ending.

_**EPILOGUE** _

_**March 4th, 2189** _

_**Six Years Later...** _

He leaned against the scope, the butt of his mantis sniper rifle holding firm against his right shoulder, both hands on the underside of the rifle, holding it steady ontop of the rock, the lush forest of Rannoch surrounding him. Flicking the safeties off the sniper rifle's control panel, he flicked on the high-powered rounds. He smiled as he spotted his target down below, unflinching, unaware of its imminent death; a lone tilgra, so far away from its pack.

Turning off his omnitool so has to not alert the animal, he looked to his left, his young son sitting right next to him, watching the animal with a predatory gaze; so much like him, he thought. "There you go son, your first kill." Rael looked at his father, smiling as Shepard handed the sniper rifle over to the quman. For a ten year old quarian child, he was pretty powerfully built, being able to hold a sniper rifle. The child eagerly waiting. Rael did not immediately snatch away the sniper rifle, but when he did, he made no noise, like a perfect predatory he quietly lay the weapon down and looked down the sights at the animal. Shepard whispered, "Remember what I taught you. Nice, quiet, clean. It'll never know what hit it." Rael nodded, and focused down the scope, his position and posture almost mirroring his father, the sniper rifle placed perfectly, his little three fingered hands under the weapon's bottom and his eye down the scope.

Rael focused for three seconds before putting his index finger on the trigger, he was ready to take the shot. Shepard smiled, he was proud of his son, he had grown up alot over the years, and he'd finally been able to spend more time with him after retiring from the Alliance over four years ago, resigning as a Spectre almost immediately after the Second Battle of Rannoch. The remains of Bellerophon had long been kept as a reminder to the quarian people that they will not lose their new republic as easily as people thought. Tali had finally handed over the contents of the blue vial to quarian scientists, and within a year, every quarian in existence had their hands on it, two years later, and the entire quarian people were blessed with the ability to finally leave their suits forever.

He had said his goodbyes to his crew, his friends, his family. Samantha had been awarded with three purple hearts upon her return to Earth and given the position of vice president of the Citadel's Scientific Division. James had gone on to become a N7 soldier, eventually earning the title of Lieutenant Commander and commanding a large squad named Yorktown. His second-in-command, Reece Haningan, was a capable XO, one Vega trusted. He had been surprised by the idea, but Joker had petitioned for the right to a 'synthetic union' with EDI, which they agreed too, and within no time, Joker and EDI were, in a strange way, married. Joker stated to the now ex-Admiral that he planned to live with EDI for the rest of his life, meaning he would die on the Normandy before he left it. He could imagine the man now, having to keep up with Admiral Gerrel's constant orders, after all, the Normandy was a quarian vessel. EDI had even provided ther quarian's scientific division, lead by none other than Lia'Vael, with all the data on Cerberus' technological achievements. The geth had absolved into the quarian republic quite easily, both of them working substantially together. Within years, the beating heart of the quarian republic, the Perseus Veil, was once again flourishing with quarian life, Rannoch and Haestrom becoming popular tourist attractions.

Grunt had gone on to become a Battlecommander, unable to become a Battlemaster due to his lack of biotic abilities. Grunt had stated that he had advanced alot since then, eventually becoming a Warlord, an entire regiment of krogan troops under his command. Mitchell had stated that he was also finished with the alliance, retiring almost immediately after Shepard. Garrus and Liara had contacted him yesterday stating that they were living happily together on Palaven, with Jossa now in school, learning faster than any others in her class. Whether the ex-Shadow Broker was using her contacts to help her daughter cheat or just because it was Liara wasn't something he could answer easily. Ken and Gabby had finally gotten married, and last he had heard both were working under Samantha. Adams was still serving on the Normandy, but Gardner had gone into the cooking industry to help himself improve (god does he need it :P) and Dr. Chakwas become the chief of staff on the newly rebuilt Arcturus Station for its medical division. Dr. Chakwas contacted daily to make sure Rael was getting his meds.

Ashley was still serving as a Council Spectre, having successfully negoitated an alliance between the batarian hegemony and the Citadel Council and served as the official envoy for the United Rannochian-Terran Coalition, with both the Systems Alliance and the Quarian Republic becoming powerful allies, serving each other with resources, warships, men and women and factories. The alliance flourished even to this day, and the coalition was completely exclusive to the quarians and humanity; all other races weren't allowed for political reasons he decided not to get mixed in. Wrex had continued raising his children, stepping down from head of Clan Urdnot and making Grunt his successor. In his last message Wrex stated that he was going to die with a pretty big family and that Shepard owed him for turning him into a softie. He had simply laughed. Garrus had apparently become a Council Spectre, something he'd been punching for and although he said it would never happen and that he wasn't a political creature, he had become Primarch of Palaven, Victus having decided he wasn't political material. Garrus had argued that he wasn't either, but Victus had laughed it off saying 'your a bad turian, we need bad turians leading us. Keeps away any, what do you humans call it? Gollum?'

Samara had decided that she had served her life as a Justicar and resigned, stating the code did not allow her, but she no longer cared nor had the willingness to go on, and took to raising her daughter Falere as a Monastery keeper. Jacob had said that he was raising a happy family with Brynn, now Brynn Taylor, both of them married, and that he hoped he and Tali were happy. Last he heard, Jacob had decided to live on Earth, saying they both needed the feeling of home. Miranda had took to raising her sister on Horizon, both of them feeling safe now that Cerberus and their father were gone. Miranda even said that she had gotten married, which surprised Shepard quite alot considering Miranda had said it was impossible; yet again, they also said the same about no children coming from Tali and his bonding. Jack, or Jennifer Mikhailovich, as her name was revealed, had hooked up with her lost father, Admiral Mikhailovich, and she had decided to become an official teacher at Grissom Academy. That was until a year ago, where she assumed pull directory of the Academy, even dropping her 'constant profanible vocabulary' at the same time. Legion had long become the leader and most of the time ambassador of the geth people, stating he was glad to have gotten the oppurtunity to feel alive. He had also, to celebrate his sentience, rennamed himself Thane, to give remembrance to the fallen drell that was no longer with them.

Bakara was apparently the head of the Krogan Confederacy, but not much else was said as Wrex said, 'Krogan politics. Its all shit you can't be bothered listening too because you fall asleep a tenth of the way through. Quarter if you're really lucky.' Daro, Connor and Sarah's names had been added to the memorial that erected the two statues of Shepard and Tali in Unastali, their sudden sacrifices not easily forgotten. Kal and Lana were living a happy life on the Citadel, Lana giving birth to three children; Yalu in remembrance to her long dead friend, Razelk and Opez, a daughter and two sons. Lana, or Commander Reeger of C-Sec he should say, had gained alot of appeal from her subordinate officers, and Kal had finally become a metal craftsman; giving up his rifle for a hammer. Javik had decided to help Liara write her book on Protheans and then help the Council's numerous scientists dissect the Reaper technology. Last he heard from the Prothean was his final words as he slit his throat and joined his comrades in death in the Cronian Nebula; just like he had promised to do. Kirrahe was back on Sur'Kesh as a high ranking member of STG and Bailey had returned to Earth to be with his family.

His mother had become a Fleet Admiral from what he had heard, Hackett resigning his post. He was scheduled to die later in this month, his old age having caught up to him. Hannah was honored by the position, and had her flagship moved back to her beloved SSV Orizaba, her old ship before becoming an Admiral and commanding the Killmanjaro. As for Tali, his lifemate had been offered Spectre status and she had willingly accepted, although the Council stated they wouldn't need her for a while yet; not until something popped up that Garrus or Ashley couldn't handle themselves, even Shepard was guaranteed permanent resignation. Tali, like Garrus, wasn't a political woman, and she had been reluctant at first, but she eventually gave in and became a senator on the Republican Conclave, although she had made it clear that she wanted as minor a position as possible, saying her family was more important than her political standpoint. Tali said that would probably changed as she grew older and older, and by the time of her twilight years, she would probably be Republican of Rannoch or something, but she didn't want to look that far into the future just yet.

Kasumi had returned to Japan to actually help fight crime, her skills in being a criminal helping in predicting how thieves work. 100,000,000 arrests and counting. Impressive. Zaeed had returned to leading the Blue Suns into becoming a protection agency funded by the Council, offering protection to any who can afford it, turning the Blue Suns into a mini-militia for the Council. The Eclipse and Blood Pack never recovered from the war and simply joined the Blue Suns ranks, dissolving both organizations.

He was knocked out of his reverie as he saw the tilgra try to run away, only to be caught in a wrapping field of biotic light. Rael then laughed at the animal trapped in his stasis before putting a round clean through the side of its head, killing it instantly, the biotic glow dying almost as instanteously. Rael lifted the rifle and sat it against the rock laughing as he turned to his father, "There you go dad! My first kill, and headshot I might add!" Shepard crossed his arms and tried his best to look serious, but he was failing. Rael didn't notice though, his smile disappearing, "What's wrong dad? Wasn't I good enough?" Shepard shook his head, "Using biotics, son? That's cheating in the rule books. You did terrible." Rael seemed to look at the ground sadly, knowing he had disappointed his father, the man he looked up too. "I'm sorry father."

Shepard immediately had his grin return as he hugged his son, "However...I've never been a 'by the books' kind of guy, so I'd say you did pretty good in my books. Just...try not to use biotics next time. Your making me look bad." Rael laughed as his father rubbed his scalp with his fist, laughing. Shepard let Rael pack up the rifle as he reactivated his omnitool, seeing three messages in his inbox, all from Tali.

_Message 1: Tali: John, dinner's ready. Tell Rael to come back immediately._

_Message 2: Tali: John, where the hell are you!? And Rael!?_

_Message 3: Tali: YOU GET HERE NOW!_

Shepard smiled as he thought of his lifemate's irritated voice and features and what words she would say, something like 'you bosh'tet' or 'where were you!' and then ten seconds later, a single kiss to her lips would clear up all the tension. "Come on son, your mother's getting impatient." Rael rolled his eyes as he rolled the final bit of his sniper rifle into the case, "Well mum is just a annoying bosh'tet." Shepard gave Rael a glare, "Don't you start using that language, especially when it comes to your mother. She's just doing her job as a parent." Rael laughed, "Then your doing a terrible job of being a good parent, dad." Shepard laughed as he picked up the case, winking at his son, "Remember, I'm not a 'by the books' kind of guy. Don't tell your mother this, but we went against the books when we bonded. Apparently bonding to another species for quarians is a means of the other species using the quarian as leverage. Of course, I'd never do that to your mother. She'd get alittle...annoyed. Besides, I didn't fall in love with her just because of how she moves in bed..."

Rael made a disgusted sound, "Dad! I don't want to hear about how you and mum have sex! I hear enough of it at night!" Shepard didn't even stop as his cheeks flushed.  _Shit. Need to work on soundproof walls. If Tali learns that Rael can hear us, she'll flip out._ It wasn't long, probably ten minutes before they arrived back at their two story, 15 roomed home. The both of them had decided to sneak in through the back, but it was obvious Tali wasn't as idiotic as they had thought, easily detecting them sneaking through the back. "Where, ancestors forebid, have you two been?" She stood in the corridor, leaning on her right hip, arms crossed. Shepard chuckled, "Rael wanted to go hunting. I took him. Don't worry, we're now." He moved closer and kissed her softly on the lips for two seconds, before breaking, holding her by the waist. "Apology...?"

"Accepted. Dinner's on the table, the one you should have helped make you bosh'tet." Tali stated with no malice or venom, just pure playfulness. Rael ran past them, understanding that if he didn't run soon, he'd be forced to listen to his parents flirt back and forth. Once Rael had disappeared behind a corner, Shepard kissed Tali on the lips once more before breaking off, "Maybe later, when we haven't got a son to look after...when he's in bed...we could have some...private time?" Tali looked at him with a lusting look, smiling seductively, "Of course, John'Shepard vas Rannoch. I'm all yours tonight. Of course, I might need a favor from you..." Shepard nodded obiedently. Tali smiled wickedly.

"You can clean up after dinner and do the dishes" Tali stated. Shepard looked at her with a horrified look but she held a finger to his lips, "No buts. You didn't make dinner." Shepard sighed heavily and surrendered, "Fine." Tali giggled as she took his hands and lead him outside onto the balcony over looking Unastali. They heard the barking of a familiar animal outside, Urz, their pet varren, courtesy of Wrex and Bakara, as they sat down on the outside chairs. Shepard sat down but immediately felt Tali slip into his lap, resting her head on his shoulder, overlooking the sunset. She smiled.

"Its beautiful, isn't it?" Shepard looked at her, smiling before turning back to the falling sun, disappearing behind the savannahs of Rannoch, "Yes...Yes it is. Before its even more beautiful with equally beautiful quarian to spend it with." Tali laughed as she kissed him on the cheek, "Always the charmer." He laughed as well as the sun continued to find behind the rocky hills of the Savannah, its glorious rays playing on their faces. Rael was inside eating dinner, so they had this moment all to themselves. "No more troubles. No more war, horrors and most of all...no more Reapers. So serene. Tranquil. I wish my mother was here to see this. She would have liked you. She would have approved of our bonding." Shepard smiled as he leaned into Tali's face, looking into her eyes, "What about your father?"

"Would have hated you and ordered you to stay the hell away from me." They both laughed for a good long while before they found themselves in the darkness of Rannochian nightfall. They looked up at the night sky, the stars quite clear in the beautiful night sky. They stopped laughing as they looked up. "Its a new beginning. For both of us." Tali kissed him on the cheek again before whispering, "I love you, Saera." Shepard smiled and whispered back, "I love you more." Tali rolled her eyes, "Why do you always do that?" Shepard guffawed as he turned back to her, "Because I'm madly in love. I love you too, just a tiny bit more." Tali sighed, "Your so childish." Shepard grinned and chuckled loudly, "Oh come on, you know you love it."

"Maybe a little."

They continued to watch as the night went into its full blaze, the many moons of Rannoch shining in the night sky. Inside, the picture lays on the lounge room cabinet. In that picture, is a family picture. Shepard, Garrus, Kasumi, Liara and Tali in the middle, Shepard with Tali on his left and Garrus on his right standing, arms around both their shoulders. Kasumi and Liara lay on the floor in front of them, Kasumi in front of Garrus while Liara was infront of Tali smiling warmly at the camera. Grunt and Wrex stand at the far left of the picture, both seemed to be frozen in chuckles. Samara and Jack, as they did rarely, also smiled infront of the two krogan, Jack crouched while Samara stood high. Javik stood to the right of the ex-Justicar, not smiling, but his form was relaxed. Joker sat in a wheelchair to Kasumi's right, with EDI behind him, arms around his neck. Rael was on Tali's back in a 'piggyback' stance, smiling happily at the picture while waving, Joker's cap on his little head. Shala and Garu stood happily on the far right of the picture, both of them not in suits, holding hands and smiling.

Legion stood next to EDI on her right, glowing optics staring at the camera, but a hint of emotions played on it. Ashley looked like she was laughing as Jacob rubbed her hair on Shepard's left. Miranda looked at Jacob with a amused look, while Samantha stood on her right, looking at James with a grin as he tried his best to put on a smile. Gardner, Dr. Chakwas, Adams, Gabby and Ken stood on Tali's right, Gardner's face covered in coffee as Gabby seemed to laugh her head off as Ken pretended not to be the culprit, and Chakwas gave Gardner a rapidly deteriorating serious face, her grin trying desperately to appear.

Kirrahe and Mitchell stood side by side next to Shala and Garu on their left, Mitchell next to Shala with Kirrahe to Mitchell's left, with both of them having arms around each other, holding up drinks as if singing merrily. Zaeed held what looked like a vodka with a straw in a triangular glass next to Kirrahe, sitting on what looked like a beach chair while holding it up and smiling. Kal and Lana stood next to Zaeed's chair on the left of it, With Lana resting her head on Kal's shoulder, while Kal rested his head on hers, once again, both of them weren't in suits. Lana was also holding her newborn child in her arms, the child's face twisted in the grimace of silent sleep.

Hannah stood next to Lana, seemingly looking at Lana's child, smiling warmly. At the very back, holding the name plates to their chest was three corporals, the three nameplates held to their chests quite evident; David Anderson, Thane Krios, Mordin Solus. The memory was bliss, for the galaxy had moved on. And yet...peace might be eternal yet.

Or maybe just one more threat is ready to rise...

...

And on the distant world of Parnack, the sounds of the first spaceship built by the Yahg is heard flying into space.

 **Bosh'tet:** Thought by many non-quarians to be the quarian equivalent of "son of a bitch" or "bastard." Surprisingly, it is actually the name of a animal native to Rannoch, similiar to Earth rats. It is a rodent to lives my scavenging, but has a very low intelligence, is quite irritating and lazy. It eats the excrement of other animals, using what's let of it as a home and the undigested bits as sustenance. It will eat any dung, even its own. It will defend its dung pile at any cost, even its own kind, and has been known to fight to the death. Quarians used it as a curse word for people who are being stupid, unresponsive, irritating or fighting for a worthless cause or reason.

 **Saera:** Term used when speaking to one's lifemate. Literal translation: My soul's soul. Other meanings include, but are not limited to: Keeper of my soul and My soul's protector. Most commonly used word throughout the fleet by a quarian when speaking privately to their lifemate. Though unconfirmed by any quarian, there are implications that this word holds extreme intimacy as well as absolute trust. No single human word or phrase encompassed all that this one short word implies as it appears to contain both dominance and submissive traits.

**And that's it. For To Survive II anyway. I'll say this; To Survive II isn't what I dreamt it to be. I must agree with most of my audience when I say this; this killed Calinstel's stories. I feel like I've made this a blistering epitaph for To Survive: Terminus, and that's what it is: Read better versions than this; like To Survive: Galactic Renewal. Can't remember the author, but his stays true to Calinstel's far more. I knew that as soon as Master Chief stepped into the picture I'd fucked up everything. I'm glad you enjoyed it, but I'm disappointed it didn't turn out something better.**

**This is not the end however! HELL NO. I'm barely started. To Survive II was my harbinger for a brand new project I will be working on (as of January 15, I will be going silent for nine days, reasons explained in afterword) and I shall work on that project there. It will be my first project that involves no outside influence (aside from inspiration from 'To Survive' and 'Razor's Edge'...maybe even some 'Adamo'. All three being Tali fanfics) and it'll be my first big project. The working title is 'Enigma' but they may change over the duration of its development. It'll start off from the events of ME1, and continue on from there in a quadrilogy. I hope you look forward to it. Further details in Afterword.**

**This is your chance to ask questions about anything. My future, coming fanfics, the status of my other fanfics (sequel to 'Jacon and Friends' anyone? Hehehe) and anything else. Would you like to ask about how I got the inspiration to do this? Why I do this? Then do it. I shall answer those questions in the afterword.**

**Thank you for reading and I say...**

**Keelah Se'lai.**


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